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Waitaki Plantation. (Area, 728 acres; altitude, 700 ft. to 1,400 ft.) Work on this plantation ceased in May, the land being required for settlement purposes. Expenditure. £ B . d. Amount at 31st March, 1907 ... ... ... ... 39 6 1 Formation of plantation-roade ... ... ... ... 4 13 6 Fencing ... ... ... ... ... ... 319 3 1 Tools, implements, &c. ... ... ... ... ... 26 4 3 Miscellaneous works ... ... ... ... 126 Nurseryman's proportion of salary, and u-aveliing-expenses ... 8 3 4 £398 12 9 N. Craig. Nurseryman in Charge. Hanmek Spkings Plantation, Canterbury. (Approximate area, 1,488 acres; approximate altitude, 1,225 ft.) Tree-planting operations at this station during the past year have been, on the whole, attended with fairly satisfactory resuks, although, owing to the very dry summer experienced, the trees have not made such good growth as in previous years. It is estimated thai about 5 per cent. of deaths occurred amongst the various specie* of pines planted, and from 10 to 15 per cent, amongst larch, the deaths in the latter being almost entirely confined to where the trees had been planted on gravelly soil. The total number of trees planted during the year was 591,400, on an area of 206 aores, and 43,780 trees were utilised to replace blanks in former plantings. The area planted at tills station now comprises 668 acres, containing 1,863,170 trees. Free Labour. An average of 39 men were employed during the year, and the cost of the various works was as follows: Pitting, 10s. per thousand; tree-planting, 14s. 6Jd. per thousand; clearing round trees, and clearing and cultivating fire-breaks, £139 15s. ; formation of new prison camp, £18 3s. 3d.; erection of camp buildings, £28 4s. : erection of wire netting on new plantationarea, cost 2s. per chain. The clearing of fern and scrub from trees planted in the low-lying portions of plantation and in swamps necessitated a considerable amount of labour being expended, and two men were employed almost constantly at this work during (he summer. Some six miles of fire-breaks were ploughed and cultivated round boundary of plantation, and on roads through plantation a considerable amount of labour was necessary to keep growth in check. During the winter pruning '.vas continued amongst the larger trees, and amongst the Inrch a considerable amount of work vas necessary in removing double leaders. The planting of blanks was done principally by lice labour, I he number planted being 43.780 trees. Prison Labour. The work done by prisoners during the year vas very satisfactory, the average number of prisoners employed daily at forestry-work being ten; the total value of work was £659 l~>s. 7d., or an average value of £65 19s. 6d. for each of the ten men employed. The details and values of prisoners' work are as follows: Clearing for tree-planting, 15 acres, £11 , v s. ; pitting, 183,500 pits, £93 16s. 3d.: tree-planting, 500,725 trees, £245 7s. 4d. : fencing, 40 chains, £8 9s. 9d. : erecting camp buildings, £60 its. 9d. : forming camp-site, £87 17s. 9d. : general maintenance, £149 Cs. 9d.: total. £059 15s. 7d. A considerable amount of prison labour was necessary in forming site for new camp, erecting prison-camp buildings, repairing and re-erecting prisoners' huts transferred from Dumgree, forming roads to and about camp, and forming kitchen -garden ; consequently the amount of work done in connection with actual tree-planting operations was much less than last year. The camp was shifted to new site during February, and in March a start was made with clearing and pitting for the coming season's tree-planting. Pitting was commenced with free labour (by contract) during February, and it will be necessary to continue this work during the winter to provide sufficient pits for the number of trees available for planting during the coming planting season. It is estimated that about a million trees will be available for planting during the coming season, but, unless more prison labour is available for forestry-work, only about half of this number can be planted. The prison camp has now accommodation for sixty men, but up to tHo present time the largest number of prisoners in camp has been thirty-five, and the number employed daily at forestry-work has varied from ten to twenty men. The growth of trees of all ages in'the plantation was somewhat retarded by the unfavourable weather-conditions prevailing during the summer months. This was particularly noticeable where the soil is of a gravelly nature, and trees of all species seen' \o have felt the effects of the drought much more severely on the flats than where planted on the hills.