CAMBRIDGE FARMERS CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 810, 25 August 1877, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE FARMERS CLUB.

ESSAY ON THEE PLANTING Mrßeynolds m iatroduciog the above subject;, said I may stale that I consider it of so much importance and ao nearly interests everyone here to-night, that I had rather it had fallen into the hands of some more experienced person ; however, for the want of experience you must excuse my quoting largely from other writers. This distriot, I imagine, is one of the finest m the world for tree growing, and considering how little bush thsre is m it, qbis branch of culture has not received the attention it should have had, which I am afraid we will find to our cost m a few years, when the natural scrub and bush get cleared away both as regards shade and shelter for rtock and for the purposes of firewood, &0.. I consider shelter for cattle m winter to be of almost as much importance as feed, for £ : have seen cattle do just as well m a paddock, where there was good shelter, without hay, as m a similar paddock exposed to the weather, with hay. I take the following extract from the ' Town and Country Journal ' : — "A colonial writer .says : The recent cold weather so quickly following the summer heat should be sufficient to impress upon the minds of all stockowners the necessity of supply ing shelter of some kind. Ido not refer, to roof shelter, as this is not so much required m * temperate climate, bat I mean something of a breakwind such as a stone wall, or log or sapling fence, a lire hedge, $c, However slight such a shelter ia, it adds to the (jpinfqrp of the animals, and comfort to beasts means profit to the owner. JFood creates warmth, and much more is required m oold weuf.her Jhan m ljot. Upon hundreds of our .. farnjg, naturally ' exposed though ihuy are, nut a sign of shelter can be seen, and fclje stock are totally unpro.«

vided for There is aoarody a" farm which o§uld not produce some material or other which could ba utilised &n a. break wind, and the expanse ought not to bo -regarde I for a aecaud. If a matt has twenty cows fa bii 'dairy, it will pay him to Bell off four or- fire' head, erect shelter, and provide, as Mr MoDou<jaU terms it, natural oomforb, and he would find that, with leas eonsuuaphon of foocl, more milk would be obtained' and his cows would not run dry nearly 'so; soon. It is a sad mistake to keep half starved miserable animals whether dry or m milk." Of course, shelter is not ao much required for aheep, as they have their own coats to keep them warm, but at the same time a good lire fence or a few olumps of trees, m the lambing season, would oome m very useful us a protection against the cold showery weathor which we generally experience at tnat season of the year. In faot, it is absolutely necessary for a good percentage of lambs to provide shelter ; it not, it is a case of bringing a lot of weak lambs on a wet cold day into a shed, and for this purpose I have seen clumps of pines act equally as well as a house. Shade m the summer for stock is also very neoesiary, espeaially for sheep. Anyone going m for a good flock of sheep should, at the same time, not neglect to plant a few clumps of trees about m their paddocks, for to work up a good flock of slieep, and produce a superior olass of wool, it is necessary something, should be done. towards their comfort, as well as giving them plenty of feed, fa* m some of those hot summer days nothing would be more beneficial to a flock than to provide shade. 1 take the following from an Auckland paper with regard to • shelter trees ' for cattle:— "The subject of shelter for . cattle is of peculiar importance m those districts of New Zealand, and there are many, where the temperature suddenly and excessively varies, and it is shamefully neglected. We commend to the attention of Btockowners the following remarks by the Hoa 0 S Abbott, of California : ' The eubject of shelter has not be6n sufficiently considered or discussed m this country. When you cut down a large pieoe of woodland, you change the climate of the tract i>f land w'roh has been sheltered by it -from the force of the prevailing winds. When you clothe a piece of land with timber, you make a milder cliauta for^the land lying to the leeward and sheltered by it. Who has not observed that the vegetation was much the rankest on the lee'side of a fence ? as our winds m summer time always blow m the sama direction. Instead of the fence, suppose a belt of gum gum tree, say 20ft or 30ft wide, were planted acrosi the valley every half mile, which m ten or fifteen years would be Irom 60ft to 100 ft high. The roots of the trees would stick .deep into the soil, sap the moisture from the earth and diffuse it through the pores of the leaves into the atmosphere. A large percentage of the tree itself is water j moisture attracts moisture, hence it is more likely to rain m timbered countries than on arid plaius. 1 ' The coat of planting would be trifling compared to the ultimate benefit; that i would accrue to the keeping of stock alone, besides the value of the timber and improved appearance of an estate. A certain sum of money judiciously laid out 'm a property m this branch every year would add more to its ultimate valae than m a similar sum laid out m any other other way. A recent writer m qujtiug from an American . paper, says: — " In some of the Western prairie countries which very much resemble the vast timberless plains of California, assooiali ons have been formed for the purpose of planting ornamental trees and beautifying the country. Many of the farms aresurrouuded by' double rows of trees. and t he effect is most pleasing to the aye These associations hive done more than all other ageucies to enhance the value of prairie farms. They act as an ma ment m summer aud a breakwind m winter, when the pe.netrating wind sweeps across the prairie, freezing and biting as it goes. An agricultural society in' Massachusetts, desiring to encourage tree planting and the refreshing of poor land m that State, have offered prizes for the best plantations of hurch, pine, ash, and other tree 3 suited to different loiulities and soils." In laying out plantations, care should be taken a3 to where they are placed ; for instance, instead of putting one clump behind another, get them so arrange:) that clumps m the distance block up the spaces left nearer the homestead. A bird's-eye view iv this manner gives one the idea that the whole cauutry is full of trees, whereas m reality there may only be a few small plantations. In order to produce the best effect m grouping trees, the3e requisites are essential — unity, harmony and variety. Two very distinct styles have been adopted for the arraging of planting or' grounds. In the old fashioned, or geometric style, everything waa arranged m straight lines or occasional circles. Great care was taken m this style to avoid anything like irregularity, a tree on one side of the house was opposed by another, a row on the right had an aooompanying row on the left, or, as Pope satirically expressed it— . &rove nods to grave, each alley has its brother, And half the platform just reflects the other. And the old gardener of the Earl of Selkirk, who was very strongly imbued with, this mania, when he shut up the thief m the summer-house for stealing the fruit, was compelled, for the sake of symetry, to confine his own son m the summer-house opposite. The modern, or natural style of planting, is far more pleasing and picturesque than the old. It is not an infrequent error to suppose that the modern slyle consists merely iv irregularity. But irregularity without arrangement is not taste, confusion is not the beautiful m nature. The s senary which artificial planting produces may appear to be the accidental arrangement of agreeable parts or objects, but it muse really be the result of close study, and a careful eye. The terms now offered by the Government of New Zealand for the enoouragemeut of private enterprise m the shape of forest planting, should be some inducement to tha settler The following are some of the arrangements made by the Government uuder the Forest Trees Planting Act :—" The land need not be m one block, on theaarte property. The laad planted must be securely fenced, aud must have been devoted to planting at least two years. The trees must be m a healthy vigorous state when the grant ot land is applied for. Tae trees may be of any description, and the number planted must be at the rate of not less than 500 per acre. The trees must be of an average height of two feet, except m the oase of gum, wattle, popUr, or willow, which must bo of an average height of four faec, As soon aa the land is fenoed aud the trees planted, a report must be sent to the Co mm isuioner ot Crown Lands for the district m whic.-i the lands a-e situate, who wdl cause inspec-. tion of fche same to be made, from the date of "whioh, if duly certified, the two years will b« calculated. "Tile amonatof l.md order for ev*ry aoi-o planted shall be #f." These are some of the general regulutions g^ be observed, frr obtaining tUe i

bo ius now" offered by tiie Graverurnent j aUhough not sufficient to ■ defray the expanses of planting and fencing as well it will mare tliau pay for the rawing of eucalj ptus plantations. It is the fencing of trees that ootnes expensive, especially when put m auull clumps,,. It is quite eviieiit, I presume, to, Everyone hefe .fc)-ni^ht, that it^. is useless plaiting unless" such U. securely fenced, for w^often-see p-»iple go to the trouble' and expense i>f planting, and neglect the looking afi#r the fencing, the onsequanoe of which is, the caGtle get m and destroy all tho trees'. With regard to shade trees, the State of .New York has made the following provision, and if something. similar could be adopted hare.it wonld be a great benefit to thoipublio generally. It is as follows : '* Any inhabitant liable to highway tax who ah ill transplant by the side of the public highway^ shade trees, or Iruit trees of suitable siza, shall be allowed oy the overseers of highways, , in abatement of his highway tax, one dollar for every four trees set oac; ; ;but no row of elms shalljbe placed nearer than 70f % No row of maples or other forest trees, nearer than 50ft, except loousc, which may be set 30ft ap *rt ; fruit trees must also be set at least 50fc apart, and no allowance shall be made, unless suoh trees shall have been set out the year previous to, the denund for said abatement of the tax, . and are living and well protected from animals at the time of such demand." A writer, m commenting on the above, with wnom I -entirely agree, say*: "The trees we have here mentioned, as shade trees, ard what are termed dcci luouj losing their leaves- m winter, and, it ia a wise proviso that only such are to be used, as they, besides affording an agreeable shade during summer, protect the roid and preserve it from its being broken up during drj weather, whilst m winter, being bare of leaves, they do not obstruct the sun from having direct influence iv drying the roadwty as quickly, aspossible after heavy -rains." If we 100 v at trea growing m a pecuniary point of view, I think it about as go )d a speculation as any pjrson_could go into, as it is stated on good authority chat forest land m Canterbury is worth £20 per acre for the timber alone. A gentleman informed me not long since, Lhat on an estate of his- hi had a" plantation of gum trees which had been planted about eight or ten 'years, and were now wortj. to him £200 par year m posts, rails, firewood, &c &c. Taking this as a criterion for the value of wood and the short space of time it takas to grow, I think none need despair at the idea of planting ynier thj imprer sion chat m their t'uie they would reap no benefit from it. I will now say a few words m reference to the different kinds. ' Almost every kiad of tree and tree aeeds, can now be procured m Auckland, for ornamental, as well as torest tree planting, m fact a great many trees of different kinds cau now be obtained at reasonable prices from our local nurserymen. I aivocabe strongly the planting of Cnpressus .VEaciocarpa for shelter aud forming breakwinds They are f*at growing, and at the same time very ornamental, very hardy ia this Clinnte, and will thrive well m almost •tny kind of soil. In six years, I have seeu them obtain a height of 25 feet, and branches extending a distance of 24 feet, aud buttt nearly 5 feet m circumference. A. recent writer, iv speaking of this tree, says, 'I think the best of all shelter trees is tha cupressus macrooarpa. This beautiful and shady trea attains a height of 150 feoc, with a stem of 9 feet m otrcumtereuca, and ia one of the quickest conifers. This cypress has been extensively availed of for ornamental planting m New South Wales. The uuprassi govenUnan grows well in ■' this district, much resembles the macrooarpa, only more bushy, and m plac9B where cupresiUd are not wanted to grow too large, this would be au excellent tree to plant, as it only attains a height of 20 to 25 feet. The lawiana is the most beautiful of all the cypresses, only it does not grow ao fast as those mentioned. The greatest difficulty is in ' procuring good seed, as a very small percentage of it'growa. Whan planted anongstother cyyressi, ita foliage being a dark gceen, it produces a very pleasing effect. The same writar, m speaking of the macrocarpa says, of this tree, *It is a splendid red flowered cypress, grows 109'teet high, with astern 2 feet m diameter, and furnishes a valuable timber for building purposes, being clear and easily worked.'. 4s to the timber of the cypress, I take the following from Chambers' works : — •It is very hard, compact and durable! The ancients reckoned it indastructjjble, and thd reaia wtiioh it contains, gives it the proparty of resisting, for a long time, the action of water. It is not liable to the attacks of insects, and was formerly much esteemed for the purposes of tha cabinetmaker. Specimens. of this wood are m existence m museums, which are known to be several thousands of -years old. The doofs of St. Peters, at JJome, made of cypress, lasted from the time of Oonstantiue the Great to that of Pope Eugene IV., above 1100 years, and were perfectly sound when at last remove!, that brazen ones might be. substituted.' The insiguis is a pine that ia more extensively planted m this country than any other. It grows at an iminease rate, and attains a height of SO to 100 feet. Next to the uiacrocarpa, I consider it the best for shelter : it is very easily propagated, and tha seed can be depended on for growing. The greatest difficulty one has to contend against m growing this tree, is tho liability of their being torn up by tha. wiud, -where planted m exposed situations. It is absolutely neoessary to stake and tie them for a year or so, m fact, I strongly advocate the Staking of almost every tree planted, for the first season, as it keeps them from being blown about, and gives the roots a change of getting a fair hold of the ground. Some paople advocate cutting the tops of inaiguis trees, as a m^ans of keeping them from blowing up, as, by so doing, they get better rooted, and the bottom part of the tree gets thicker and stronger to resist the force of the wind ; the top of the trea growing faster than the bottom is evidently the reason of their blowing over. Whether suoh cutting 'back of the tree, when young, is injurious to the timber, lam not m a position to say. I have heard it stated that, m America, the timber of this pine was considered most valuable for railway sleepers, its resinous nature rendering it entirely impervious to th& "weather. Pinus Maritina is another species of pine which grows well m this district, and very suitable for exposed situations. Several others of this variety could be mentioned, such as the ponderosa, halepensis, tuberculata, etc, would be very useful for variety m clumps or avenue planting, but for going iv largely for shelter, I would recommend ;>Unin<; the former ones mentioned, as 5U y n-ivo proved to be the fastest grow'mg and most easily propagated. It ia to bo regrebced that the larou does not do any better m this oouutry, as it is one of the principal trees now planted m Great. Britain. Haying a q uantity of goud seed out trom England, I have been experimenting m trying to make it grow, but without success. It germinates all right, bub when. above grgund for two or throe weeks, it disappears altogether. As a timber tree, I suppose the oak stands, first and formost of '<tll trees.' The soil ia this 'district is we.l adapted, for its

growth, as it makes: air loa/ahoqts her m one year, as m the' old country itftwo %j ™K3SWS^s^^ toi fr ? m *&$■ Y ha^ h >a>d~it said that the adorns should where the Crees 5%??l ende 3 to .lsm»in,"but think it far befc^rto raise them in>a nursery, as they a^^ slo r w ;grpwiQ g : at, first. A few planted as specimen treea, or m olumps m:the corners of paddocks, would, m the course of a few years/ afford desirable ahade for _ aheep. „The blaokwood of Tasmania is a tree that I would rtaom•mend the planting of extensively. The seed is easily procured, and cheap* Skis an evergreen, and rather an praam\|t»le tree, with long narrow leaves, and wTrald do well* for mixing with pines j[ts timber.is very useful m the ma&ufactcire of furniture, casks, falloes itor wheels, Stir A ~ -proprietor of saw mills m Tasmania, B aya, blaokwood is line principal' timber out at these mills. Orders executed oarefully for railway carriages', bending purposes and implement making of all kinds. The aiok'wy I should say, ought' to be grown to ad. vantage here; My experience of it; ia rather limited, only, that I have a large quantity of nuts at present, the success or otherwise of whiohl will make known on some future occasion. In order to be successful m getting the nuts to grow, they shouldbe oovered with soil or sand, two or three months previous to sowimg. A writer, m describing the hickory, says : 'They are exclusively North Americian, -and are large and beautiful trees, attain* ing a height of 70 or 80 feet. The timber of all of them is heavy, strong and tenacious. Great quantities are uaed for making hoops for casks, shafts of carriages, handles for whips, large screiws, &q. It is generally es tie mad for fuel. Tha nuts of some of the species are excellent eatiug, and much resemble walnuts.' Wnat we know for ceitain will do- well m this district, and ansiwer all the purposes for whioh the last named is renowneiyis the prickly acacia. The only objection to it is, its spreading by the roots, but this is easily remedied by letting the cattle run through it, or get it planted about m odd Corners, such as points of gullies, &c. Clumps of these afford very good shade, besides the wood being second to none for axe-baadlea, fork-handles, swingle-trees, and finch like, being very light, tough and elastic A number of deciduous trees, such a* the poplar, sycamore, birch, elm, willow, chestnut, &c, would add greatly to the beauty of planting where variety is the object. A writer' in the • Australasian,' m speaking of the Osage orange, slays, 'Its timber is", m Texas, known as boii d' arc, or bnw wood, on account of its having been used by th a In.iiaus for bows.' According to an American writer large numbers of theie trees are to be seen m Northern Texas, lining the river vallleys, and marvellous stories are there told o£ the endurance of the wood m situations where it was much exposed to- alternate moUture and drought. The tree, it is said, grows sometimes to a diametor of two or three feet, and is sawn into drnber for waggons. It is close grained, and the tire once set upon the wheel, never conies loose, until it is worn out. They tell of waggons m Texas that came m with the first emigration, anil, af ter thirty, years, are still servicable and m good condition. The wood is ajso much used for iieuce posts, and resists decay louger than any other wood m that region. The tree throws with graat vi^ou", au.l fruits freely m Victoria. It wood answers the description above given to it, and- thewe is every reason to believe that it would prove as valuable ia this country as m the CJuited States of America. I now oome to the eucalyp ,i family, or gum trees. For raising large plantations ani timber growing on a large scale, these are the kind *o£ trees I would advocate the planting or 6owiug of, as they can be grown on a muoh more simple and eoonomicil system" than other trees, by the putting m seed where the trees are intended to remain. In fact, no farm, however small, should,' be without them, aa they are so rapid m their gro vtn, that m a few years they come in'for tirevood, and when of auffUieuc age, for various other purpose^, such as fence posts, ouildiug materials, cibihet work, &c. There ara a great 1 variety of these trees, but I would recommend anyone to go m chiefly for the eucalyptus glooulus, or fasmanian blue gum; it is th- fastest growiug, and almost every se^d can be dapeniod on for germiuatiug. This tree has bean found to contain many medicinal qualities, and also useful m dryiug marshy soils. For the above purpose, it has been planted with decidedly beneficial effects i a Algeria, Cape of Good Hope, Mexico and elsewhere. It is used ex. tenaively m the former for carriage building. The Italian Gov«rumeu&, persuaded of the beneficial influence of this tree m malarious districts, has presented to the landowners of Italy large supplies of clips of this variety, tor the purpose of forming plantations, where its virtues seem required. The Government also intend to grow the eucalyptus along the boulevards of the large cities, and even aloug the various liue3 of rail way throughout the kingdom. Landowners themselves, remarks the 'Laucet,' are following the initiative of thd Government, and m a few years Italy expects to drive malaria as effectually from its borders as agiu has been expelled from those of Lancashire. Tue leaves of this tree, when boiled m water, make au excellent lotion for Uorsea with sore backs, also when shale-dried, are used as fillings for pillows, and have been successful as a preventativa for fever aud ague m Northern Queensland. As to the siae this tree grows, a recent writer m an Australian paper say : •In last weeks issue of the 'Town and Country Journal,' I noticed a very interesting article on the big. trees of 'California, wherein you recoommand the cultivation of those very useful timber trees, the Californian cedar (taxodium sempor vireus) and the renowned mamoth tree (Welliugtonia gigantea). Allow me, sir, to point out that we have, m this country, and com* paratively at our doors, trees which put m the shade all trees Calafornia ever produced. It is now ah established fact that the specie of gum tree commonly called the mountain ash (eucalyptus globuliis) by far excels the Calafornian mauimoth tree, not only m height and bulk, but m commercial value ako. In 1865, I measured, at a place called the Black Spur, ,so miles from Melbourne, a tree 483 feet long, being 10 feet ia diameter about 16 feet from the ground* I reported this discovery to the Government Botanist, Baron Dr' Von Mueller, and m company of that Gentleman I have measured since then, a great many trees, none of : which, though, superseded the one I discovered first. Owing to the dense scrub which covers the ground, and the hilly, nature of the surface, our expariments m measuring the height Jof those gigantic trees were limited to those only which we found standing close to' the road, whare we were able to get the neoeajary base line, bub there is no doubt m anybod's miad, who knows that part of Victoria, that trees 600 feet high could be found there. Trees 400 feet high and more are quite plentiful. As it may be interesting to you, will give a few particulars, by the aid of which some conception may be formed of the height aud 8«e of thoae trees, and aiso of their commercial value. One that had been felled, measurel 2D5 f^eb to the first branch, and 70 more .'to the point afc which it had oeeu broken 0$ where its aiamete^

*ai itill 3 feet. Another was 81 feet m girth 4 feet from the ground, and at a height of 303 feet, was still 6 feet. A/ tree fell m olearing a■< road through this forest, coßtthe Governirie nt " t he sum of £400 to. remove a dist»no c o f half a obain. I calculated that the lODgI OD ge ßt * reiß I mearured. viz, 488 feet contained 2 »' 30 cords '.of wood. The oil obtained ' rom the leaves, and which i« of great commercial value, I calculated at 30 hhds.'i the obarcoal ; from the woods, 20,000 bufhels ; pyrpligneous i vinegar, at 230*000 gallons ; and the potash at 50 owts. The timber is used extensively for building purposes. The seed of this tree is very plentiful and easy to be obtained, and the tree will grew m any place where the soil is good and not too dry. In putt ing down plantations of this gum, I think it advisable to sow by itself and not mix with others, as it grows so mack faster than the other kinds, that m all probability tbe latter would' get choked, and not get a chanbe to grow .The . other varieties ,,suoh as the white gum, peppermint gum, forest mabogeny, ■tri(<gybark, iron barks, all of whioh are very useful timber, and grow well m this district (m fact the first two grow nearly as fast «■ bine gum) should be planted by themselves, and plantations of these, where exposed to view, would have a very pleasing effect ; as the difference m the colour of the bark and foliage would add much to tbe variety. In raising plantations of the eucalyptus, the best nuUtlio moat eoononioal way, is to put seed m where-intended to remain, as by doing so yon will save all the expense and trouble of planting out. On any land that it is possible to plough I would never think of planting this kind of tree. ,■ ; Of course, it is necessary to plant any pieces of land, subh as the sides oFtne gullies, &c- In land that can be , worked I would rather chance the seed, than bave it planted for nothing; Seeds sown m September will, at the end of twelve months outgrow trees planted the previous winter taken from nurseries. I bave them now from seed put m the f)und ten months ago, averaging from to 6 feet high, and thoße of twelve months previous growth, from 10 to 15 feet hipb, A writer says : It has been supposed by some, but there is not sufficient evidence m support of the opinion, that more healthy and vigorous trees are obtained by sowing on the spot than by planting those that bave been raised m a nursery. The foundation, of plantations by sowing of seeds has been more generally practised on the Continent than m Britain. In this way the vacancies m tbe natural forests m France and Germany are filled up. In this way also great sandy tracts have been covered with wood on th coast of Pomcrania, and of France. This has particularly been accomplished on a scale of extrordinary magnitude on tbe downs of drifting sands, between the Rivers Adowr and Girande. The operations there,, were begun by M Bremontier, m 1789, and deserve to be mentioned as, perhaps, the most important operation m arboriculture that have ever been performed m the world. Vast forests of pinaster now occupy what was originally loose sand, deatitute of vegetation. The seeds can be either sown m drills or broadcast, the latter plan is the easießt, and least expensive, but you do not get them to grow quite so fust this way as by the former means. The weeds, fern, &c, can be kept down until they get a good start. Tbe broadcast system is the mode to adopt for wholesale laying down of gum foiests. Put the laud m the same condition as if you were laying it down m grass, sow about S ounces of seed to the acre, and roll it m. The blue gum seed can be obtained af 16s per lb; the other varieties, at from 20s to 45s per lb. If any one intends putting m fern land, I would strongly advise the use of a little artificial manure, cay 1 cwt. or so of Peruvian guano per wore, to give them a good start (I may state here that a good start is eve? y thing m tree growing), so as to get them above the fern and weeds, otherwise m all probability being sown, the fern would get tbe start and smother one half of tbtm. Of cource,. where the land has been sweetened by having been m grass for a few years, there is no occasion for going to this; expense m manures •. In speaking of the above land, I allude to this district m particular, m other places, such as Canterbury and Victoria, there is not this natural sour* ners of flland to contend ogainst. A w liter, m speaking of broadcast sowing says tbat experience m the western districts of Victoria, has led to the adoption of a very simple and comparatively trivial measure of preparation when forest trees and not ornamental shrubs are the object. In raising breakewinds on the shelterless plains, it is now the practice to plough only about two inches deep, and with this seed bed, tbe various wattles and gum trees, whose seeds are sown broadcast together, eucoeed better than when the land is ploughed deeper. If we reflect upon natures method of growing the giant eucalyptus of our ranges tbe Wellengtonias of California, or the 400 feet Douglas's firs of Columbia we shall be convinced that no preparation of the soil is really needed for the produotion of timber trees. In all cases, when trees aie raised for timber, as well as thelter, tbey should be kept rather closely together than otherwise, and upon observation, tbe most aduantageons distance throughout the whole time that a plantation remains as such, should be tbat the distance from each other is about one-third of the bight of the trees, this is a general rule. Where trees are kept growing at a less distance than onethird of their bight, tbey become tall, slender, and weakly, and if grown at a distance from e»oh other, greater than mentioned, they become branchy, do not increase prcportionatley m hight, and the timber is generally ooarse. The periodical thinning cf plantations which are required, as {tbe trees increase m bight, . afford something more than a repayment of the annual cost, and leave the full sized limber to yield a liberal return on the original outlay. By sowing the gum seed attornatily m drills with mangolds or carrots, you get them to grow faster, as I said before, they can be kept dean, and the root orop will repay you for tbe labour, thus, leaving then about five feet between tbe rows, and three feet m (the rows, which will not be too thick for the first two or three years, afterwards can be thinned as previously described. It is a good plan to. keep all plantations (except where sown broadcast) m crop for a year or so, as the trees do far better by the soil being kept mellow about their roots, and by this means the moisture m dry weather is retained longer near the surface, It is necessary to raise all pines, Cypresses, &c, m a nursery, for by using a little artificial manure - they can be grown quite large enough the first year for planting out. There is a great risk, unless a person is very careful, m trantplanUng large treeß, especially if tbe weather becomes dry and frosty directly after- It is a good idea, about a month before planting, to go along on each side of the rows of seedlings with tbe spade and wrench them,, by this means the principal roots, of Ihe tree are Hopped from growing and throwing out fre»)i fibres help to keep the soil together m removing. Tbe following is taken from a Canterbury publication: It may be stated lor general information, that all seeds, aa a rule, should have a covering of boU from two or three times their fhefr own diameter j although as au

absolute fact, darkness, sufficient moisture and a given temperature, are all that is required to promote vegetation ; but as all -these elrmonts of success cannot be adjusted m seeds sown out of doors, tho above rule can safely be relied on. The seeds of deoiduous trees have to be acted upon, eich according to its variety. Oaks and elms should be sown as soon as gathered. Birch and sycamore can be kept m a cool dry place and. sown m Spring. Ash like many other tree seeds have to be kept m moist sand for a whole season before sowing. I may here state for g- ner&l information that experience has convinced me beyond doubt, that much loss is sustained m flowing tree seeds and alßo clovers and grasses, by their being too deeply covered. I will conolude with the 'Forests of the World,' taken from the San Francisco "Newsletter:" ''The fjrests of Europe are estimated as being 500,000,000 acres m extent, or about 20 per cent of he whole area of the continent. In North America

All new Houses ehould-be fitted up withthe self-actng ROLLER BLIND of the Age. No side Cord or Rack required It is most natural and easy m its working m its rise and fall stopping just where you wish by holding the Tassel or centre of Blind. Pronounced perfect after 14 years' test m America. Very moderate price. Only obtainable at the City Hall Arcade, where also may be Been all kinds "of Household Furniture, Bedding, Floor Cloths and Car i 6ts of 100 different patteaas. Linoleum should be washed with soap and tepid water, and scrubbed with a hard brush. , Ypu can have a choice oj 12 patterns m Linoleum at Hollo Wax & Gablioxs' City Hall: Arcade, Queen-street and Lome-street, Auckland.

it is reckoned that 1,460,0^0,000 «<WW covered with trees, of which 900,000,000 are m British. North America. I^ 0 "'" America the forests occupy- 7p0.,Q00,000 acres. The total 'amount of th.c two continents of the New World and Europe cives 3,600,00f) geographical miles. | ? The pfopbriion of forest* land m ;the whole area of Europe, us above stated, is computed at -20 per cent, m America i&t 21 ocr cent. Supposing, therefore, 20 per. cent to be; the proporftpn.in Asiaj Afnc 1 ," and Australia, the grand total pf the forests of the world cover a space of V.734000 geographical miles. The area* of stale forests and woodlands are esti- ' mated at the' following figures m the following European conntnes. Frusah, 6 200,000; Bavaria, 3.294.000; Franc-, 2,700.,000 ;Aq^tria v 2,230 POO i Hanover, SOO.OOO yWurtembnVg, 469,089.; Saxony, 349.C00 ; England, 112,376 acres, i The ■ range m height of jtrees. VArieg, from the miniature alpino, willow. of a few uiplipb 1 iv fceigKr to 'the ntupenchina ■J . eUingiiihWwh^'growno' a height of 350 fert, although, indeed, it m stated tlutoneof the- Eucalypti 1 often reaches a height of 420 feet m Victoria, In Sclavoma, a . tewicaUed the Sapia,, attains a height of 275 feet, and the umbrella pine ot Italy 200 feet. The California big tree m si id to girth 96 feet, The destruction of woods and forests, however, is very genaral, and m the majority of instances no attempts are being made ; for their reproduction. In South Africa, wo :■ are told, millions: ] of acres ; are destroyed" and made waste annually. wln;N>w Zealand, the ; 3P' ; PPr cejnt of jforestg exiatlngiß 1830 auok 28 m 1868, and to 18 m 1173, which rake -.of dimioitlon. if" continued, would resi* t in the total distraction of the iNow Zealand forest by 1889. In A trienoa, m the United States especially, the oo . n ! um J ) i ; tion of timber is enormous, and although . public attention has, been call to the '•■ matter, and the United States Statute of March 1875 imposed a 6ne of f 100. or a r year's •imprisonment for wanton injury or distruotion of trees, the yearly : consumption^,ifflMyW§ D^»" ° f timber is almosfc incredible. Although . there are no availably statistics to show 1"the - "the exa^jt rate 61 'speed *ith; which we are ■■■■>' using 1 up the^ : w00d .., supply, it i* it » Jemg done , ; with ; great , TW^ythe legitimate'use of timber alone, indas v tries based on its manufacture oonstithte the second in^oint of maga|tude m America, and ar« only exceeded by the iron invest. Aboub 150,000 pe^soos are stated tq be emp'oyed m producing 5,265,000,0003hing135, and 12,756,00Q,000 ifeet oftimber are yearly., manufactured In the Secondary industries, based on the use of lumbe^as a raw material, carpentry, cabinet-makfiig, ship-building, nghonsf ot, people are employed. According to Professor ßreWer's assertion/ wood forms tho fuel of two thirds of the population,. • iid ttie partial fuel-bf -nine tenths of the remaining third, add this to t. 18 former estimate and some general idea wilf be sormed of the enormous drain upon Americnn forests, that is constantly m pro-, gress. ■ As a fact, it is well known that in-1871 as many af 10.000 acres of forest were stripped of their timber to supply ■; Chicago with fuel, and yet no attempt is -" made to reproduce. ■ MrHiokssaid he had listened, with great pleasure to Mr Reynolds ■%, paper and thou b ht that he had dealt so thoroughly with the question that there was very little more to be sud. 'He. wondered how Mr Reynold, his dutiea, had beew able to find time to eet up the subject ao.thoroughlv. He heaiftily concurFedin all that Mr Reynolds had saidi = ' . . Mr William*Martyn said he was m a position to say that cutting back pules was very beneficial to therm./ He hadplanted pines nather extensively, ;and had had cat the tops off them, and found . that they* branokad' out arid made better trees for it. He also said it was almost useless to plant ttees unless they were fenced to proteot them from cattle They should also be staked immediately they are planted. Ifthty were not done so, thej blew about with the wind and, ; iwork'ed a :hble,.iin * which the water lodged, andthetrets soon begaa to turn, yellow and then di«. He would advocate planting gums. L«4 them be sown two "••' ieet apart.', , About six years ago he Was ' by a lot of gums on a gentleman's farm, which were growing thick together. and madta very pretty appearance indeed, so much so that he walked up to ,<the house and asked the gentleman ' whit hV had done to get such a nice olump of trees. He mid he he had sown a bed of gums and had been too lazy to plant them out, and behold • the result. This clump of Ruins might now be seen at Captain MoPherson's. He (Mr Mariyn) had planted them m drills alternately with, some carrots, where the latter were pulled up they wera equal m ,; height. . Two:years 'a?o th^y were about twofeet high, and now they were twenty feet. " ':.•" .;.• ' Mr Janies Bunoimin said he thought Mr Reynolds'* ! paper one of the best he had ever heard on the subject. He believed m planting New. Zealand trees Puriri was one of the most valuable and durable of woods, but it would not groi* on the Waikato, plain. He thought it ought to grow on the hills. Ake-BKe was another good wood, but apt to pet ' frosted; bbweverf he had got some trees to gow. Pohutakawa, he thought, would grow on the Mungakawa hills. Totara was a valuable wood, and wop. 1 ™ grow here without anj trouble. White manuka was also most durable. He had •~ a car*, the wheels of which were made of this wood, tbey.haa been made thirty-two years ago, they were goo -1 itiii, and be would warrant them to r oarry a ton. , Taua Was a good wood ; for all, inside work, although otherwise regarded as useless.' iKabikatea was ; also looked upon Ski » very inferior wood, but he L topnld point out houws bailt of it, which * had' teen standing 25 years, and were good yet. /There were two kinds, of lahikatea, the one. the ends cou,ld be planed as smooth as glass, the other iould not. Thb former was the best.The acacia was a tree that should be planted and allowed to grow. It ,was nieful for all general purposes, it .was >■■ better th^npbing else at first, only it 4' would require to be fenced. ; „ Mr Gane remarked that if the same interest was taken ia^eP l^ l^^ all farmera, as appeared to be by a few member- of the" Club, it would^ no^ do badly at all. He had gone m a little for ' planting but intended to do far more ' He folly recognized the importance of it. HethonahtMr Reynolds' essay when • prioted, should be cut out of the paper, and kept by every member of the Club to -refer to. ■< . i Mr Buttle thought it a great importance to provide .helWr for sheep tn summer. It was very distressing to «c sheen esoPciaUy lon«-wool sheep, pant- , . fagfrom the heat of the smr Theb st sSiW.he thought, was afforded by clumPß of ti-tree, which should be fenced • roiinJ with a fence, so^ that the cattle could not break them down, and could get under the wire^nd S«S flhelter The fence should b« la^ttree.apdto^cattU ' J $ttld |y clPldup and get eheltw.

The, Chairman, said he had been much gratified with Mr Reynolds paper. Trees should beplanted So as to make an estate onk ornbrnental. : If tr«»ea were planted on Mr Maity'nV hills it v/ou'd add very : much to the of the landsoapr. 'Mr Martyri should not grndge giving the 2«>od land round the base of the hills to, trees. They should be planted, there first, and afterwards v little higtier up and so on, until the bills were covered v?ith trees. If tho tops oi the bills were planted first the trees would not thrive bo well, and would not be such un ornament to the landscape. A gentleman m Scotland had MntSd two estates for a, term- of years, be waß to have onmpensation for planting ■trees. After he end of the lease th« value of tbe trees planted was found to be many thousand pounds more than he had paid m rent. A nobleman iv England had also considerably reduced the rent of a farm held by a tenant, on condition (hat he would plant so much of his beat land m trees, fhe tennant after much grumbling consented, but af'erurards found that be had aained more by planting the trees,; than ft the land had been otherwise worked. U* to fenciug trees, he thought .they should be fenced before anything else. Ho did not agree with Mr Rundiman, as to growing New Zealand timber he hhoaeht there were trees which gcewto faster, and yielded as good timber, which should be perferred. In planting ti;eeß drives should be made to make the estate look ornamental, these drives besides affording lungs for the trees, themselves, would add to.tbe beauty of the landscape. With re'pect 'to the larch, although it might not have" succeeded ou these flats, it ooght to grow m the mountainous districts. The fall of the leaf was one of the great benefits to be derived from the tree It had been found that where the larch had been planted and the trees had shed: their leaves, white olover sprang up. it could not ba accounted for, notwithstanding, it was a fact. Mr Walker stated that the larch hart b?ea successfuly grown 0* the estate of Mr MatbeV Holmes, of Oamaro, m Otago* „ , , i Tue Chairman said the larch was a very valuable tree' the bark alono being worth £5 a ton. He had also never heard that trees sprAtig up on landrthat bad been ploughed as they did m BuglandMajor Wilson eaid lie knew'of a place m Raglan that hid bean formerly cultivated ".-by./ 1 the n-xtivea, bnt now it was covered with trees, iHe was unable to cay what kiwi. of. trees they were. The. Chairman said that m Araenoa trees' did spring up m this way, but they were altogether., different to the kind vpliichhad been cut down, and indexed a usttleas kind of t«e. ... .... : . , Mr Hicks had remarked tho same thing m this country. v; Mr James Rudciman said he knew of land standing thick with white manuka which had been ploughed jotae years ago ; this land was at WhaDgarei. At KamaranJa m a paddock where a orop of grass seed had been once taken, nuinbej-s of totara toees were coming up. He! bad also known Puriri spring up on land that had been cultivated.; At Maketu, near Ramaratna, there was a stone wall built by, the ; hand; of man, r stone upon stobe, with' a puriri tree six feet m diameter groivingupou tha top. This made him think New Zealand had been inhabited before tbe Maoris came here. . He had a sp cieß of white' elm which was doing very well,, and would b« glad to give any gentleman present cuttings. Mr Henry Reynolds, m reply, said be thought it bea.li to. sow tree seeds broadcast ; iv drills yon might get larger trees' bat he thoughc it better to put plenty of seed. It was better to have to pall out a tree here and there than have to plant more. They should be planted at the rate of from four to six ounces to the acre. He did not believe m leaving ti-tree as shelter for sheep, the leaves got ; into the wool, and there are other trees which grow much faster and do far bMnr. As to the la»ch, ho thought the reason why It did not do well was because it was not cold euough. He Lad sad nothing about fruit trees, as he thought he had-taken (forest' trees) quite euoagh for one paper. Fruit trees he had .left for Mr Hicks to dial with at anothVr meeting.. „; , - JMTr fi'.'.B Walker proposed a ypte ot thanks 'to Mr Reynolds, for his .valuable and JnteresiiDg paper.— Mr James Kunci man seconded. . , ' Mr Fantham ( asked Mr Ruricim an whether younn totara tree's could be easily obtained .and transplanted. In Canterbury they regarded it aa the best New Zealand woo i, and he should like to ■ try and grow soma. . ;.". : „.' Mr Runciman said, it transplanled readily, and young trees could be got io any bush where there was Tptarav, Anywhere, by the Waiho'u and Waitoa Rivers, they could be got, and.alao at Ramarama, ou the Great South Kpad. .