TREE-PLANTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 668, 19 November 1909, Page 3

TREE-PLANTING.

Sir,—Tree-planting by prisoners, if-scientific', cally carried out, v will .provide. an enormous addition to the wealth of .New. Zealand, and' endless work for future tradesmen; or if ■ unscientifically, the product will-be firewoodin abundance and wasted energjv, It .is idle to, suppose that larch, oak, ,ash, and the woods flourishing in the cold climate of .England will produce valuable timber here, as the difference of'climate always causes, variation and deterioration in the' quality of tlio wood. Thus oak, grown in Austria, Turkey, Spain, and Italy, loses the. qualities possessed by English-grown timber. Endless' other' instances could bo quoted, and even our own beautiful ' woods flourish in certain parts of, these islands and not'at all in others; tho vacancy being filled by varieties equally. valuable. Tho, question thqri arises: "Is it possible to improve upon the timbers flourishing in New Zealand, planted there by Nature ages ago?" .The authorities of Kbw Gardens answered, emphatically .' "No," when I was sent there by tho'.late. Mr. Seddon, and.'they'-strongly, advised .u's to preservo our, own splendid type as well as wo could., But they added: "You.are. simple barbarians and, , savages to'.destroy .some, of :the ;tnost magnificent' : timber in,the. world, j list to clear tli6 ground," and they refused to suggest anv.m.eans of providing for'our.'futireMv'aMS. On my return to New Zealand, tho late Mr. .Seddon sent' the bushes-and. .mills"of bothii^liiids,'-andjirpossiblo. find ont a remedy^or' the'destructipif then proceeding. This Vas done,' arid after mucli patient labour IColoiiel Hiime,' the , Inspector of - Prisons,' tfas ■ consulted' ( -as to,, the .'employment , of' tile • best ' class ;of. .prisoners. fortthe' \vorV'required. -'Oiir-' efforts were' fruitless,"artel'' I' left' tho . service; but thanks to the unfailing support of tho ! press' of' New Zealand, after years of -struggling, my. scheme has;.-.been; -successfully adopted. Tho indirect reward is; grand, though alas unremunerative:. More- than 75 per ceAt. of our erring brothers, are', returned to society healthier, stronger, arid thoroughly. reformed. Moreover, they do not trouble the police-again; contact with Naturo. aud Nature's. God proves' irresistible as a reforming-agent.—l am, etc., , : .JAMES FREYBERG.