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Evening Star, Issue 3386, 27 December 1873, Page 3

Two schemes are under consideration in South Australia for encouraging the growth of forest trees: one for granting blocks of land to private settlors prepared to undertake to cultivate them under certain conditions; and another proposed by the Surveyor-General, Mr Goyder, who wishes the Government to commence a systematic course of planting as a national enterprise. The Melbourne Anjux summarises Mr Goyder’s plan thus : His estimated cost of such an undertaking for the first year, spread over an area of 300 square miles, would be Ll-1,357 10s, and for the second and following years L 10,300, supposing seven nurseries to be started; but less if that number was reduced. > ln any case, Mr Goyder’s scheme is, despite the first outlay, not only to be self-supporting, but remunerative. How he expects it to work may be given in his own words:—“ Five years must elapse after the commencement of operations before any return on the outlay can be expected. Then, assuming the whole seven nurseries to be established at once, and 7,000,000 trees to be planted during the first planting season, 10ft. apart, every second tree, or 3,500,000, might be removed, and sold at LI per 100, realising L 35,000 in cash,” This amount, Mr Goyder tliinks, would continue to be realised for the next three years, that is to say, for the sixth, seventh, and eighth years, when, by the removal of every other tree from the blocks first planted, the income would be raised to L 70,000 a-year, and stand at that amount until the end of the seventeenth year. At that time it would begin to descend to its former level of L 35.000 a-year, and, at the end of the twenty-first year, the State would be in possession of a matured forest of 300 square miles, with which it might deal in any way it thought best. Of course, this is an estimate and nothing more, but in prospect of the increased demand for timber, and the yearly decreasing supply, it is indicative of a sound policy, which may not only be entered upon in South Australia, but elsewhcxe, with advantage. When the demand for timber is large, too much cannot well he planted, but this planting should be so carried on as to make it remunerative.