CULTIVATION OF TREES AT CANTERBURY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 10, 15 March 1851, Page 6

CULTIVATION OF TREES AT CANTERBURY.

Extract of a Letter to Mr. Godleij from a gentleman residing at Wellington. I see by the Lyttelton Paper that the Settlers have formed a Horticultural Society, I should like to know if I can promote its usefulness in any way. It seems to me that two objects are worthy of its especial care. 1.-.The growth of wood 'suitable for fuel ; and 2. of plants suitable for hedges. The scarcity of timber for building purposes, I consider of little consequence. Here, owing to the cheapness of timber, and the effect of the earthquakes of IS4B upon the public mind, there is too great a disposition to build of wood. The Canterbury folk will be forced to build of better materials, and timber will only be used, as in England, for those parts of tlie building for which it is peculiarly adapted. For cottages I should recommend cobb walls, i.e., tempered clay mixed with barley straw, built up 2 ft. thick in the rough, and pared down to 18 in. I really know of nothing better for moderate sized dwellings of one floor. For larger houses, pise, with strong framing and ties of timber, and brick coins, will I think be found most substantial, and susceptible of considerable ornament. But the serious evil is really the want of fuel. Here, in the country, wood, if cut by contract costs 6s. 6d. or 7s. per cord. But a good deal is collected in the course of cleaning, and j costs nothing. The labourer and small culti- j vator obtains it in return fora mere modicum of i his own or his children's labour. Coal at 21. j or 21. 10s. a chauldron or ton, (I forget how it is sold in Sydney,) is a terrible price to any but j the comparatively wealthy. It is from five to seven times the price in the coal districts of England, and double the London price. I have no doubt a good deal of swamp wood will be found in the plains, which were evidently forests at no very remote time. This wood, when piled and well dried, will burn well. I also think it likely peat, or something like peat, will be used. Nevertheless, I think the land owner will do well to establish plantations which can be managed as in England, by periodical cuttings, and I should recommend the new Society to consider what woods are suited for the purpose. Here, the Sydney hlach tvattle grows well and quickly, especially at a lower elevation than nine. I propose to send you a quantity of the seed. To make it vegetate quickly,'pour boiling water on it, and let it steep till the water is cold, then sow the seed where it is to grow, for transplanting checks its growth. Sow three seeds together, and if all come up root out the two weakest plants. They should be six feet feet apart. I think I would plant them four feet apart, in rows six feet from each other, and in the fourth year of their growth I would cut put every other tree, dry the place well, and put in two or three Ngaio seeds. The Ngaio grows quickly and is good fine wood. There are of course many other trees, which would answer the purpose, which I leave the Horticultural Society to determine.

For hedges I recommend the quick, with a four foot ditch, four feet deep, the width gradually narrowing to one. The plants two year old, are cut to a spur three inches long, and laid in the soil, the soil of the top spit thrown on them, and a bank made up of the subsoil. This may be surmounted by a low rush fence, as described in Lowe's Agriculture. lam very sure this will be the cheapest fence for the plains, in the long run. The spur will throw up from five to ten shoots, which should not be touched for two years. I plant quicks without ditch, eight inches apart; on the Hutt where the growth is stronger, they think twelve inches better. As an experiment, where no ditch is dug, I would advise the trial of what is called quincunx a foot apart, thus :—

* * * * I bought quick plants two years old, imported from Van Diemen's Land at 14s. per 1000, which is cheaper than they are in the county of Kent. The merchant of whom I bought them told me they were invoiced at lls., but~l believe they are now as low as Bs., which would bring them down to lls. at Canterbury.

I find the Sweet Briar grows well, and makes an excellent garden hedge, as a break to the wind. I have three rows across the garden, I gave 20s. for 2000 plants from Van Diernen's Land, hut I will send you a lot of seed. In a few years we shall have plenty of Haws, as the older standard thorns are beginning to

flower abundantly. I would advise the Horticultural Society to import from Van Diemen's Land 100 plants six or seven years old ; they will flower the year after planting. There is a very beautiful thorny shrub with a sweet scented yellow flower, which the Settlers call South Australian furze. Its native place is Kangaroo Island. It has been introduced at Auckland, and makes a beautiful hedge. Avoid apple trees from Van Diemen's Land, they have all the blight. At Nelson and Wellington all the finest sorts are to be found ; get a few of each, and then raise stocks, and bud or graft for yourselves. The stone fruit from Van Diemen's Land is good. At the proper season, i c., as soon as we get a little rain, I will root some hundred gooseberry cuttings and send down. I have some fine sorts which I raised from seed sent out in a letter. The Canterbury Settler should be always planting", he_should adapt as his guiding maxim, the old Scotchman's advice to his son, " be aye stapping in a twig, Jock, it will be growing until a tree, while you are sleeping, boy;" if the Horticultural Society want a motto, let it be, " Tandem fit surcuius arbor," which besides being a good hint to the planter, will I hope be figuratively true, both of the Canterbury Settlement and the Horticultural Society.