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C—3

Forest-firm Prevention. The fire season has been an abnormally dry one, and officers and stall have had a very anxious time since November. It is satisfactory to report an absence of damage to established plantations, due mainly to the vigilance, of the patrol staff and officers in charge of plantations, and to the efficient firebreak system of protection. Special attention was given to this phase of this work, and all fire-breaks, where necessary, were ploughed or cultivated, and portions inaccessible to implements were dealt with by hand grubbing and clearing, &c. Two new fire districts were proclaimed, one comprising the area surrounding Hanmer Springs Plantation and the other Balmoral Plantation. Five fire districts are now in operation, and this system appears to be acting well, no breaches of the regulation affecting these having been recorded. Lookouts wore maintained at Hanmer Springs and Conical Hills during the danger season from the Ist November to the 31st March, and they are still being placed on this duty occasionally as weather conditions warrant it, the country generally being still in a very dry condition. Grazing. The policy of grazing fire-breaks at Conical Hills and Dusky Hill Plantations has been continued by leasing the rights to local farmers, the departmental flock having been disposed of last year. Several small vacant areas are also leased to employees and others. Labour. Ample labour has been available throughout the season. Clearing operations at Hanmer Springs were done mainly by piecework, the men being paid at so-much per chain for line and fire-break clearing. Survey Work. In January the Forest Surveyor made a survey of the new area being added to Hanmer Springs Plantation. This, which will include a topographical survey, will, when completed, greatly facilitate the working of the area and assist in the location and grading of roads and fire-breaks. Nurseries. Tree-raising operations at the South Island stations have been attended with considerable success this season in spite of the difficult climatic conditions experienced. The nurseries are carrying at present practicaliy 10,626,624 trees, ranging from one to three years. Approximately 2,255,950 trees will bo available for transfer this year to plantations, farmers, and public bodies, &c. At Hanmer Springs Nursery the major portion of the seeds was sown in open lines with excellent results, and a substantial reduction in cost, some 3,060,000 being raised by this method. It is hoped during the coming season to bring into use for open-lines sowing a portion of the area reserved as a new nursery-site at Crookston. This is practically virgin ground, which should give good results. It will also relieve some of the worked-out land in Tapanui Nursery. Trees transferred. During the season trees to the number of 1,801,163 were transferred to plantations, settlers, and local bodies, &c, distributed as follows : Plantations, 1,275,735 ; farmers and local bodies, 440,178 ; West Coast Experimental Area, 85,250. Special carewas given to the packing of trees this year, and many complimentary references have been received from various sources as to the careful manner in which trees were packed and the good condition in which consignments reached their destination. In one or two cases it was necessary to transfer large consignments —viz., to the West Coast, and from Ranfurly and Tapanui to Balmoral, &c. This meant special packing arrangements, and a form of crating was adopted whereby the trees were placed in tiers in closed, railway-trucks, the trees being placed in an upright position with their roots packed in damp sphagnum moss, each tier being free from pressure from those above. By this method 52,000 trees were consigned in one truck, and they arrived in splendid condition, without heating or suffering in any way. The fact that a 99-per-cetit. "strike" was registered with these after being transported a distance of over three hundred miles speaks for itself. Seed sown. A total of 1,0301b. of tree-seeds were sown during the year, tin; results from which were six and a quarter million seedlings. This gives an average germination of over 6,000 per pound, which, must be accounted very satisfactory when all species are considered. A very cheap and practical method has been devised, by Senior Ranger I). J. Buchanan at Tapanui for extraction by sun-heat, and this has answered the purpose admirably so far. A tier of inverted seed-frames with the netting attached is built up with battens on the sunny side of a wall. The frames are spaced one above the other at a distance of about 2 ft., with a canvas sheet beneath the lower one. The cones are spread out over the netting, and as they open the seed falls through the netting to the sheet below and is collected each day. Protection is afforded at night and in wet weather by a canvas sheet which covers the top frame and. falls down over the front. A stirring of the cones with a rake or by hand shakes the seed out. This method takes a little longer than extraction by artificial heat, but is much more reliable. FOREST-EXTENSION. Sales of trees to settlers and local bodies, &c, during the year totalled 440,178 trees. A considerable number of applications in excess of the trees available were received, and at least 100,000 more Pinus radiata would have been supplied had sufficient stock been available.