AFFORESTATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1845, 3 September 1913, Page 8

AFFORESTATION.

. A CAPITAL YEAR'S WORK. THE FIRE DANGER. A report from tho Department on tho work in State nurseries and plantations during the year was presented to Parliament yesterday by the Minister for Lands (tie Hon. AV. F. Massey). During the year over ton million trees were successfully raised in tho four Stato nurseries, a little more than half being in tho North Island nursery at Rotorua, whilst tiio remainder were grown in the three South Island nurseries. Over five million trees wero sent out to tho State plantations in the same period, and at March 31 last thero were estimated to be nineteen million treeplants remaining in the nurseries available for planting out during the current and successivo seasons. Since tho formation of the nurseries in 1896 over sixty million trees have been sent to tho plantations and three million trees to outside placos, t-lic total cost of .the seven nurseries (tlrroe 'of which havo now been closed) to dat-o boing £11 f--743, of which, however, £25.323 is represented by permanent works. . In tho nine plantations in which operations arc at present being carried on an area of 1604 acres was plnntou duiing tho year, making a total of 20,034 acres planted sinco 1896. Tho cost per acre planted during tho year ranged from £3 to £6 15s. Bd., per acre, which is a reduction on former figures, lho total expenditure, inclusive of the estimated valuo of prison labour, since 1896 amounts to £170,347, of which £26,517 was on permanent works such as formation, buildings, roads, and fenein%ho employment of prison labour on planting operations has continued to bo ft success, tho gross valuo of work performed by thoso employed during tho year being estimated at £2130, or, deducting cost of buildings and supervision, at £1370, but averaging about £70 per man per annum since the establishment of tho system, as work to the value of over £32,000 is estimated to have been nerformed sinco 191)0. Tho danger "from fires is increasingly realised oil tho large plantations now established in the AVniotapu and AVhakarewarcwa district, but every care has [ been taken to avert the threatened ' danger, and tho officer in charge is now 1 organising his forces to combat any unexpected "outbreak, and lias made several valuable suggestions to this end. It is, however, -regretted that a spread;, ing 'fire severely damaged the I. umpum Eucalyptus plantation. In tlie South Island an unusually wet season was cxi perienced, consequently no serious firo took plaoo in any plantation. In Central Otago the raising of seedlings was an unprecedented success. Prison la- " bonr to the value of £1127 was expend--3 ed during the year on planting opera- ' tions, tho work dono by each prisoner I averaging £74. j