WINTER AIDS FOR BIRDS.

Forest and Bird, Issue 22, 1 October 1930, Page 16

WINTER AIDS FOR BIRDS.

The Poroporo (Bullibull) is a very valuable fruit-bearing plant for bird food. It fruits in its first year and in the winter when the need is greatest. It loves a well drained, moist situation, and grows with great rapidity. Its life is but three years, but it readily seeds itself. Tuis in particular love the fruit as do all birds.

The exotic tree lucerne furnishes nectar in abundance just when many birds require food. Stock love it, and it can be made a valuable aid if fed to sheep and cattle in times of hardship. It is also an excellent firewood, but should be cut up green as it becomes exceedingly hard when dry. It is a soil improver being of a nitrogenous nature. If fenced from stock it will perpetuate itself and supply an unending source for firewood, cattle food, bird food, and shelter. This tree matures in three or five years and lives no longer than 15 years under favourable conditions. If constantly cut it lives even less. Its only fault is that no matter how closely planted it will not adopt a pole form but sticks to its spreading nature and kills the less virile plants of the same species around. Tree lucerne has been successfully used to afford the necessary shade and shelter when establishing native tree plantations. When so used the lower branches should be removed from time to time and the tree kept in reasonable subjection by lopping. When the native tree plantation is fully established, the tree lucernes are removed.