VALUE OF TREES ON FARMS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 67, 6 April 1937, Page 3

VALUE OF TREES ON FARMS

Mr. A. W. S. Longley's Porangahau Plantation TIMBER FOR WOOLSHED An interesting example of the practical value of tree-planting by individual farmers is to be seen at Mr A. W. S. Longley's place, near Porangahau. When Mr Longley went on the section 17 years ago there was no shelter or trees of any kind; nothing hut scrub, in fact. The small bach in which Mr and Mrs Longley lived was anehored to the ground by wires to prevent it from being blown over, but even so it shook and jolted badly during gales, giving the occupants the sensation of an earthquoke. To-day, howover, an attractive, modern home, situated in a well-kept garden with bright flowerbeds and a fountain playing in an ornamental fish pond, is comfortably situated among groves of tall sheltering trees of man-y varieties. These well-grown plantations assist in giving the homestead a most attractive appearance. Their usefulness is by no means merely ornamental, hewever, for. from one of the plantations containing pinus insignus, Mr Longley has recently cut suJfieient timber for all the interiox wood work and lining for a large qxtension to his shearing shed. approximately 2,000 super feet .being used. The whole of this timber was grown, felled, cut and tnmmed on the place at a cost of about 2/- a hundred super feet, plus tho cost of labour. Mr Longley has his own circular rip saw erected on a proper bench built by himself and driven by an ancient Min erva four-cylinder 18 h.p. car engine which .he has coupled direet to the saw, an engineering feat which he was told would prove impossible. The exhaust pipe has been so arranged that the exhaust blows the sawdust clear of the saw, -and a flame thrower is used 1.0 spray the saw with water to keep it cool on a long §un. Mr Longley has raised ovor 40,000 trees of various kinds from seed and still continues to plant an average of 1,000 a year. In- one, of the plantations there are 26 ditferent speeies of Australian gum trees, but none of them ia blue gum. One particularly fine specimen raised from seed and not yet 14 years old measures six feet round the butt and has already reached a height of 100 feet. ' . The pines which were cut to; suppiy timber for the woolshed measurod 38 inehes in diaiheter and were raised from seed by Mr Longley himself. Eaeh tree had to be slieltered by a benzine tin at first and afterwards supported by a stroug stake. In many instances tho original benzine tins can still be seen on tlie trees, gradually being pressed from a square to a round fomation by the growth of the tree.