TREE-PLANTING IN MEXICO.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 40, 15 January 1884, Page 3

TREE-PLANTING IN MEXICO.

It is reported that the Mexican Government has concluded a contract with Mr. Oscar A. Droege to plant two millions of trees in the valleys of Mexico within four years, commencing March 15, 1884. Half a million of trees a year are to be planted in such places as the Government shall decide. The contractor pledges himself to establish a number of nurseries, and to have in them each year at least 80,000 ash, 85,000 willows, 120,000 poplars, 60,000 eucalptus trees, 60,000 treenos japones, 60,000 mountain cypress cedars, 60,000 acacias, and 120,000 of miscellaneous varieties. The trees must be in plantations of from 50,000 to 100,000 each, and Mr. Droege has to maintain them for two years after planting. He is not compelled to plant tress along the highways, however; The graduates of the School of Agriculture are to be received into tho nurseries each year, there io study the science of forestry. He is also to raise fruit and other useful plants for free distribution. An inspector is to superintend, and Mr, Droege is to receive annually 40,000 dole. till the sum reaches a total of 200,000 dole. A kind of epidemic of fraud seems to have attacked various branches of business. Men like Burgan, of the Union Bank of Birminguam; Warden, of the London and River Plate Bank; Waddells, the accountants, appear all to have got so involved in money speculations as to resort in desperation to fiignt from their liabilities. The heavy fall in the speculative stock markers goes far to account for these disappearances and for other difficulties which are known to only a few, or are altogether hushed up. The news of consistent piracies and false claims which comes from Odessa marks frauds of a uuite distinct character. Underwriters have been defrauded of enormous sums by the wilful grounding of steamers in the neighbourhood of Kerch. A British official holding a responsible post is believed to have been in collusion with the gang of ruffians and wreckers immediately implicated. Altogether, the revelations of the last fortnight have been astonishing, and are such as to materially diminish confidence among business men. The various vessls arriving during the last few days report a great number of large flying fish on the coast. Their visit bo close to land may be most likely attributed to very heavy weather off the coast.