105

C—l

Details of expenditure, values, trees in stock, &c, are appended. The following is the rainfall for the year:—

Record of Rainfall and Temperature at Eweburn Nursery.

A. W. Roberts, Nurseryman in Charge.

Naseby Survey Paddock Plantation, Otago. (Area, 125 acres.) 81,125 trees were planted here permanently during the year, occupying an area of 29f acres. The total number of trees at this plantation is 288,505, covering an area of 105J acres. For next season's planting 95,900 pits have been prepared, at a cost of £1 2s. 6d. per thousand. Planting trees cost 19s. 7d. per thousand, as against 19s. lOd. for the previous year. About 28 acres were under oat-crop, yielding 15 tons odd, and valued at £26 3s. Bd. This has been cut into chaff, and sent to Rotorua and Eweburn Nurseries. The growth of trees has been very satisfactory, the greatest loss in planting this season being amongst trees sent from Tapanui. The following varieties have done best: Pinus Austriaca has done well, and seldom seems to miss if the plants are healthy. Some one-year-olds, once transplanted, were put in and have done very well; they also seem to strike quicker than the stronger ones. Pinus ponderosa does well, although shy to take root, but when once established it passes the former. Pinus Benthamiana, like ponderosa, is also difficult to transplant, but does well enough when established. Two thousand off the seed-beds were put out as an experiment, and these have all succeeded except an odd one or two. This experiment will be repeated this season. Larch has done very well, the best specimens being on the slope of the hill, where the soil is almost pure gravel. It does not do so well on the flat land, where it is rather damp during winter. Pinus laricio has done well in some places, but it is very slow, and seems to lie dormant for a long time after transplanting. Abies Douglasii has not done well, and so far is a failure here. Possibly the plants would do better if they had shelter for the first year or so, as it is in the young stage that they go off with frosty winds. Birch have done fairly well so far. Alders have done very well in the swampy land. Taking the plantation on the whole the trees have made excellent growth, and the loss does not amount to more than 2 per cent. Draining has been carried out as far as possible, there being an area of 28 acres rather wet in the subsoil. The cost to date was £19 13s. A strip round the western boundary has been chipped to a width of 6 ft. to prevent spread of fire from adjoining land. The trees have been hand-hoed and undergrowth cleared away, also all blanks opened up ready for renewal this season. The work of hoeing round the trees for the first year is an improvement, as the difference in growth is most marked where this had not been carried out previously. Rabbits or hares are rarely seen in the enclosure, and if the fence were netted up to the top wire it would prevent any stray ones getting in. The trees chiefly attacked are laburnums and rowans, but no serious loss has occurred so far. The expenditure on this plantation for the year amounts to £321 14s. 7d., and the total expenditure to date is £1,365 9s. sd. A. W. Roberts, Nurseryman in Charge.

GIMMERBURN PLANTATION RESERVE, OtAGO. (Area, 420 acres.) This reserve is at present being cropped with turnips, and 200 acres are now under cultivation. The land has been kept free of weeds as far as possible, in terms of the lease. It is intended to resume 100 acres in the autumn, and have it pitted in readiness for the following season's planting. The rental received during the year for privilege of cropping was £84 19s. 6d. A. W. Roberts, Nurseryman in Charge.

Month. Rainfall. Number ! Maximum of Days ; TemperaRain fell, j ture. Date. Minimum Temperature. Date. Number of Days on which Froat occurred. 1902. April ... May ... June ... July ... August September October November December 1903. Inohes. 1-47 0-53 1-50 0-36 1-21 1-46 ... | 1-12 0-95 4-00 11 6 5 1 5 7 7 6 18 Degrees. 70 55 56 47 50 55 66 69 78 1st and 2nd 7th and 21st 20th and 21st 28th 21st 19th 7th 26th 11th and 25th Degrees. 25 18 17 20 16 18 20 25 26 27th 23rd 17th and 29th 13th and 27th 25th 9th 20th 11th 4th 12 26 23 30 30 29 21 11 9 January February March ... ! 3-83 ...: 1-62 ... I 1-53 11 5 8 78 78 72 24th 3rd 26th 29 30 24 11th 23rd 22nd 2 -1 8 I Totals ... j 19-58 85 205