The Telephone. PUBLISHES EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1884. FOREST PLANTING.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 39, 14 January 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. PUBLISHES EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1884. FOREST PLANTING.

Mani years since the subject of forest planting was taken up by journals in this Colony, and, if we remember rightly, a bonus was shortly after offered by the Government for the planting of trees by settlers, The matter did not, however, claim the attention from the Government it merited, and a long stretch of time has been allowed to slip by, while the forests in different parts of the Colony have not only been stripped of very valuable timber, but a great destruction on the bush lands is the result of a want of official supervision. The main object of the bushmen and sawmillers has been to expeditiously get out the most marketable timber, the consequence being that a large number of good trees were cut down, and either allowed to decay on the ground or split up for firewood.# In some of the native bush of the South Island, mottled totara — with a beautiful grain, and suitable for cabinet-work—-has been foolishly cut up for firewood, and, in many instances, allowed to remain on the ground until it became useless for working up by the skilful artizan. And this wholesale destruction of what would have been of great benefit in the future must have come under the notice of many of the people’s representatives ; yet no efforts were made to successfully check the wholesale despoliation of the truly valuable bush. The kauri forests, too, in this island have, in some instances, been ruthlessly stripped,

and it is surprising that no proper system has been adopted to guard against the destruction of valuable timber. It is, however, " better late than never,” and we now find that the Government has turned its attention practically to tree-planting, having set aside reserves in Otago—principally alongside the Central railway line — for the cultivation of forest trees. A contemporary calls attention to the fact that in a recent Gazette small areas—comprising about 1,200 acres in all—have been reserved in Otago, and we hope that this small beginning will be the means of inducing settlers in different parts of the Colony to turn some attention to the profitable investment of tree-plauting. People of small means cannot well give this subject the amount of practical attention it merits, as they would have to wait several years for a return for their outlay ; nevertheless, the holders of small sections might plant a few trees along their fences, and thus make a provision for sheltering stock, as well as lay the foundation for a good return in future years. There is, of course, the consideration that after trees are planted the land in which they grow requires no attention, and there is not the expense and risk with them as attaches to the cultivation of cereals. Of late years the work of tree-plant-ing has claimed much attention in Europe, where, in marshy places the blue gum thrives admirably, and has the effect of absorbing the malaria that previously made those localities very unhealthy. We do not think that gum trees are the most profitable in dry lands, but in marshy places they caunot, it is admitted, be excelled. As to the question of cost, young trees of various descriptions can be purchased at a cheap rate in different parts of this colony, and New Zealand settlers have opportunities afforded them now for tree-planting that was not within their reach a few years ago. In Auckland, Napier, Christchurch, Dunedin, Ashburton, Wellington, Timaru, Oamaru, Taranaki, and other places of less note, ornamental trees are being cultivated to a great extent, and periodical sales of them are held in many settlements ; so that a small supply of choice young trees could be procured at a trifling outlay. In Gisborne, Messrs. Graham, Pitt, and Bennett have occasionally held sales of young ornamental trees, and we should think that that line could be considerably extended here if it were given a fair trial. Taking ageneral view of the question of forest planting, it must be accorded that it is one of vital importance to this Colony, and, apart from the grand object that would be achieved financially by the adoption of a systematic movement in this direc' tion, there is the consideration of the bad effect that the clearing-off of timber has on the rainfall of a district. The matter has, however, been taken in hand at last by the New Zealand Government, and it is to be hoped that the good work will be systematically followed up by the “ powers that be,” as well as by settlers in different parts of this Colony. By late advices, we find that even in Mexico—a country which was, a few years ago, in a perfect state of anarchy—the Government has entered into a contract to have two millions of trees of various kinds planted, extending over a period of four years, at a cost of 200,000d01s , and the contractor has pledged himself to establish a number of nurseries in the country. Now, what can be said of the negligence of the Government of a prosperous British Colony with respect to this most important subject when the Government of a country like Mexico has undertaken to lay out about £40,000 in four years in tree-planting ?