The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1870.

Dunstan Times, Issue 412, 11 March 1870, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1870.

Beneath the Rule of MenENTiRELY just the pen is mightier than theswoßD

Our Resident Magistrate, Mr. Vincent Pyko made a very apt remark in giving judgment in a trespass case, which he had heard the other day at Clyde, when he said “ the man who planted a. tree in this treeless country was a public benefactor, and the man who kept goats to destroy that tree was a public malefactor.” We quite endorse the views of our Resident Magistrate in this respect, too much praise cannot be bestowed upon those who exert themselves, either for their, own or for the amusement ot others, and strive to assist nature where she is deficient, and wc cannot too severely condemn those who would frustrate such well intended efforts. If the man is worthy of commendation, * who maketh two blades of grass grow, where only one grew before ” what should be said of him that maketh a tree grow, where none grew before,? surely he is worthy of our thanks and our sympathies. It is to those lovers of nature, which fortunately for us settled down here in the early days of the Duustan, that Clyde is indebted for its beautiful gardens springing up like oases in this desert of rock and sand, and it is due to their persevering industry that the fact is established that what was at one time almost universally considered a most unpromising sandy waste, is without a rival for horticultural and florlcultural purposes. Nature posessed every requisite, and a skilled manipulation of her several parts was only wanting to ensure a happy result ; this has been accomplished, and the gardens and orchards of the Dunstan are celebrated throughout the goldfields. In the cool sheltered valleys under the ranges, the husbandman can ply his avocation with success, every description of cereal has an unprecedented growth, and w r e may reasonably hope that with the planting of trees, the climate will be so improved upon the plains, (hat they will become equally as fruitful as the valleys In the matter of making plantations of trees, we have every evidence that this pursuit will prove successful. In the gardens of Mr. Westwood, Mr. Vincent Pyke, the Schoolmaster, and Messrs Hawthorne and J. D. Feraud, forest trees, both Australian and European, can be seen growing luxuriantly, and when once thoroughly established in the soil, there is no fear but that a p ! nutation would prove an unqualified success We have often wondered that Agricultural areas have not been taken up solely for the purpose of making plantations of forest trees, not for the mere love of nature, but as a com. mercial speculation. It must be clearly apparent to everyone, that unless we make plantations, the native forests

must soon become exhausted. Those that are accessible are at the very best but limited in extent, and as we are making sm-h progress in quarz mining, the consumption of timber will be enormous, in fact, the dearness and scarcity of this commodity will prevent many mines, otherwise productive -from being worked. To enclose <ind,>p!ant fifty acres with gum trees will not be a very extensive speculation,-half a dozen pounds of reasonably good seed whuld do the lot, the chief expense would be the fencing, and in, say ten years, or leas, according to circumstances, the plan tation would become remunerative. The,poplar will grow equally as well as the gum, and its wood is very useful for many.purposes, such as for stables, shells, outhouses, and other rough buildings. The willow, where there is moisture, ‘is a remarkably rapid grower, cut down for hosiers, it would supply 'material for. basket making, and assist in affording additional employment to our populat on, while if permitted to attain three or four years growth, the poles would readily sell for a variety of purposes. Others of this tribe Would . furnish a good supply of useful wood, now as both the willow and the poplar can be propagated from cuttings, a plantation of them would cost but a mere trifle, and any individual posessed of a suitable spot, might make one without interfering with his usual avocation, in fact, he Would be greatly advantaged, both physically and morally by doing so, leaving pecuniary considerations ‘out of the question altogether With a little attention to the seed beds, the pine, the beech, and the-ash might also be easily cultivated. We do not like tne idea of making anything compul sory upon people, but it is sometimes necessary to make a virtue of necessity, and we do think that when people occupy Crown lands, that it should be compulsory upon them to plant trees ; for instance, a clause might be inserted in agricultural leases, compelling the holders to pl-mt say, one forest tree annually 'for every five acres, and preserve the same in any situation most conveni- ; ent to themselves, or when a larger | number of trees are planted, allow the value or a portion thereof, off the rent, such trees -if desirable to be--Come the property of the State, and not to be cut down unless with ex press permission. A chain in width of forest trees around the boundary lines of large holdings would work a j

most beneficial change in this dry climate, and the value of the trees would exceed that of the land. It should be also required of such Government officers, who have garden plots in the various goldfields* camps, to endeavor to cultivate as Air as possible, the public taste for trees and flowers, most all of us love the beautiful in nature, and from example thus set, many a sterile spot might be converted into a blooming happy home. Gardening as an industrial art, might here be pursued to considerable advantage, affording pleasure to all, and be the means of supporting a considerable number of families it has existed from remote antiquity, we have the fabled gardens of Hesperidcs with its apples of gold, guarded by a hundred headed dragon, and the wonderful hanging garden of Babylon, by which the Babylonian monarch sought to reconcile his Median Queen to the flat and naked country of her adoption, and thus banish from her memory the forest and vine clad hills of her early home. With a large majority of us, our lot is cast in this Province, and posessing as we do every attribute to make nature beautiful and life pleasant and with but little personal trouble, we should avail ourselves of every opportunity to do so. A floricu Rural and horticultural show might not be a bail idea for next summer, it would stimulate numbers to exertion, and we have no doubt but that the surrounding districts would lend their assistance in adding to the display. Bet the exhibitors be solely confined to goldfields’ residents, and the result would be advantageous in a variety of ways.