47^ 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December t, 1882. 



largely from without. The knowledge that the bark of 

 certain of our wattles is one of the most highly-valued 

 tanniug materials has led to considerable areas being sown 

 ill Southern Europe, where the climate is adapted for the 

 culture. Some of those sowings having been made as much 

 as 13 years ago, there is, doubtless, now a supply oi 

 locally-grown seed, and force is lent to this supposition 

 by the fact of the demand from thence having been almost 

 discoutiuued during the last few years. New Zealand is 

 growing our best wattle (the goklen), and should soon 

 produce more than enough for local wants. Our tanners, 

 however, feel confronted witti a difficulty from which they 

 perceive no means of escape. The price of bark has risen, 

 in their opinion, immoderately. It is a fact, however, that 

 although the price has risen so high, it is still procurable 

 in England at not higher rates than oak bark. In our 

 latest fi'i"' (January 27) from London the bark trade is 

 thus quoted : — ]Mimosa (wattle) per ton ground, £10 to 

 £13 ; chopped, £9 to £12 10s. ; long, £6 to £10 ; English 

 oak "per load," £12 to £14. In some parts of England 

 oak bark is sold by the ton, but we have no recent mar- 

 ket report in which the word "ton" appears. It is 

 evident, however, from reference to other sources of in- 

 formation, that the price of oak bark is not much, if 

 any, higher than " mimosa ground.'' Seven years ago best 

 .samples were quoted £8 and £9 per ton, and as prices 

 have since advanced considerably, the assumption we are 

 hazarding is probably fully justified. "V^hether oak bark 

 or mimosa be the higher in value, the fact remains that 

 English tanners can give for our bark prices very much 

 higher than those of which our tanners complain, and 

 from which some of their number would apparently seek 

 relief in a specially objectionable form of legislation. The 

 evidence at present available would appear to show that 

 there is no real scarcity of wattle-bark in this country, 

 but that the localities in which it is growing are so dis- 

 tant from railways or water carriage as to raise prices to 

 the pitch complained of by tanners. It shows also that 

 there are reasonable grounds for believing that the price 

 of bark will not be liable to fall much below its present 

 range. At least tln-ee years are required to grow a crop, 

 and that circumstance will always be a bar to the culture 

 by many ; the majority look for a quick return ; they 

 regard a few months as a long time to wait for returns 

 in a country where business is so active. The suggestion 

 in a recent connuunication to Tlie Avyns, "that there is 

 plenty of bark for local requirements, providing it can be 

 kept in the country," is one of the most selfish that 

 coidd possibly have been made. If adopted, it would 

 totally prevent that extension of enterprise in the way of 

 wattle-growing for the sake of the bark which appears 

 now to be in a fair way of becoming developed. The 

 suggestion Mr. Ferguson has made in reference to the 

 collectiou of seed is commendable, and if in the pursu- 

 ance of the system of forest conservation the Government 

 is euabled to foster the growth of wattles, such action 

 will be perfectly legitimate. On the general question 

 whether wattle-growing can be profitably undertaken by 

 private landowners, our own columns have at various times 

 contained evidence that it can be done. Below, we re- 

 produce from The Aastialasian of July 9, 1377, a letter 

 on the subject, showing that bark-growing can be carried 

 ou profitably at prices less than half those ruling today. 

 By economising seed in the manner recommended a great 

 stride might be made in the course of the fi.rst year to- 

 wards establishing wattle cultivation upon farms. There 

 must, however, be no legislative movement by the Govern- 

 ment in this matter; anything of that kind would only 

 defeat the object in view, viz., the development of wattle 

 culture by occupiers of land. 



The following is the letter referred to above, and which 

 appeared in our issue of June 9, 1877 : — 



TO THE EDITOli OF THE " AUSTRALASIAN." 



"Sir, — If you have no objection I will supplement your 

 remarks in answer to your correspondent signing himself 

 * Wattle Bark.' I think that the time has now come that 

 the cultivation of wattle bark will \y^y, and pay very hand- 

 somely, considering the small amount of labour attached 

 to it, and that it can be combined with grazing, not- 

 withstanding your remark anent stock-proof fences. Light 

 sandy soil, or soil ^hat vnW turn out potatoes io payable 



quantities, is the description that the wattle requires. 

 Supposing ' "Wattle Bark ' to have such a piece of ground, 

 let hira either clear it completely of all the trees, or take 

 out all the saplings and a few of the trees where they 

 stand too thick, burning off all the rubbish and dead tim- 

 ber. Then lay out his ground in squares of 12ft. each. 

 This done, let him take every thira line, and at the in- 

 tersections of the cross lines drop two or three seeds. 

 That is all for the first season. The second season he 

 does the same with the next line. The third season he 

 finishes. He can then strip the first season's sowing and 

 sow again. The seeds when planted to be lightly cov- 

 ered, to save them from the birds. As soon as the seed- 

 lings are well up. the weakest to be pulled up and thrown 

 away, leaving one as each intersection. After the stripp- 

 ing the stripped trees to be cut down, burnt, and the 

 ashes strewn over the ground. The second year of 

 growth, or sooner if the plant is strong enough, clear 

 off all the superfluous branches, so that the stem 

 will grow up straight and cleitn, giving more bark, and 

 greatly expediting the stripping. When the seedlings are, 

 say, six mouths old, stock can be turned in on the grass. 

 As long as there is a good bite of grass, stock will not 

 interfere with wattle, nor, for the matter of that, stock 

 will hardly at any time. The time for sowing should be 

 directly the seed is ripe ; they will then catch the first 

 rains. The best kind is the wattle that has a smooth 

 leaden-coloured bark, the tanners liking it best, as it 

 contains the most tannin, gives the greatest weight per 

 acre, and commands the highest price in the market. 

 A tree three years old will give half a hunderedweight 

 at the least. The ground, laid out in squares of 12ft., will 

 coutaiu something over 300 ti-ees ; that allows for each 

 year's stripping 100 trees, giving two tons and a half, 

 which, at the moderate figiu-e of £3 10s. per ton, gives 

 the return of £8 15s. per acre — a very handsome return, 

 and a certain one, for the labour invested. There are 

 immense areas of ground about Melbourne that have be- 

 come exhausted that would suit the wattle very well, 

 and I shoidd think would give payable returns. 



"Tannin." 



WATTLE LEAVES AND ASH. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE " AUSTRALASIAN." 



Sir, — I have been informed that wattle leaves make a 

 more deUcate tan than the bark. As it would increase 

 the value of the tree very much, if so, information ou 

 that point would be of much service to strippers and 

 growers of the wattle. Perhaps some tanners would kindly 

 inform us the market value of the leaves, if any, and 

 how and what time they shoidd be gathered r* I believe, 

 also, the ashes of the wood contain a large amount of 

 potash, valuable in making soap. Information on this sub- 

 ject would also be very interesting, and perhaps valuable 

 to many besides Engineer. 



Sandford, March 13. 



GROWING WATTLES FOR BARK. 



Sir, — I see Mr. Mirams has by a communication to the 

 Chief Secretary driiwu his attention to the importance of 

 a systematic cultivation of wattle trees for bark. Would 

 you please to reproduce a communication on the cultiv- 

 ation of the wattle which appeared in your columns about 

 seven years ago, giving mode of cultivation, length of 

 time to wait, cost per acre, and product from same, or 

 perhaps some information of recout dateP Why I ask 

 for it is because I have been urging my neighbours, who 

 hfwe 10 to 30 acres of good land now being laid bare by 

 their vines being uprooted, to cultivate wattle, and they 

 only laugh at me for it. I have not gone into the S3's- 

 tem of wattle-farming by systematic cultivation, though I 

 am devotiug some attention to it, having purchased some 

 5u0 acres of graiiing land, which is full of young wattle, 

 and by tl\imiing and trimming up I hoi^e to produce some 

 tous of bark. Many of my neighbours would like to know 

 if others have tried it, and with what success. 



Sir, whilst I am willing to grow wattle and devote some 

 attention to it, I am disheartened by the appearance of 

 a disease among wattle equally as destructive as the phyl- 

 loxera vastatrix among yiuee, I refer to a grub which 



