9i3 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June i, i! 



its early stages of life. Agaiust the system there 

 is this to be said, that unless care be token, a consider- 

 able waste of seed takes place by everburning. Of the 

 two methods, the one first described is perhaps most 

 likely to be successful with iutending growers who have 

 not had practical experience in dealing with the seeds. 

 I shall give some suggestions with regard to the treat- 

 ment of natural wattle ground. In districts comprising 

 the natural resort of the tree there are many spots 

 which are too poor for either grazing or agricultural pur- 

 poses, but on which it grows naturally if the ground 

 be protected from stock and fires. It may be that these 

 are covered with a sparse crop of gums, or not being 

 so are yet of too rough a character to admit of cult- 

 ivation by the plough. To put such character of sites 

 under wattle I have to advise— first, that they be 

 thoroughly enclosed against stock of any kind. All under- 

 growth should be grubbed and useless trees cut down 

 during the summer, and the whole spread out so as to 

 cover the surface of the enclosure as much as possible. 

 It is of course understood that the site was previously 

 occupied by wattles, and that the soil contains seed to a 

 more or less extent, In case, however, the latter should 

 only be in patches here and there, it is advisable to 

 broadcast fresh seed all over the ground, so that the 

 crop may come up regular over it. The above oper- 

 ations all completed, then about the end of summer or 

 iust before the winter rains set in, the whole should be 

 thoroughly fired and then left for the crop to come up. 

 On light soils, especially the above process, if properly 

 carried out, is almost certain to result in a good show 

 of seedlings during the first season. It may be found, 

 however, that there are places upon which the seed has 

 not germinated, and on these other seeds should be 

 put in with the spade, at the end of the first year it 

 possible When the young plants are about one foot in 

 height the ground should be gone over by thinning and 

 pruning so that when completed the best trees will be 

 left stauding with one stem only, at distances ranging 

 from four feet to six feet apart. With a little attention 

 in the way of pruning during the second and perhaps 

 third years the crop may now be left to matuie itself. 

 Now a word to those who may have wattle ground upon 

 which there is a young crop growing naturally, and in 

 various stages of growth. Thinning and pruning should 

 be carried out on them at once. Where the trees have 

 grown up very thickly together— like whipsticks-as I 

 have seen in some parts of the Adelaide hills thinning 

 only is necessary; but even this should be done with 

 much care, and only partially at first, as the effect of 

 too much light beiug let in upon those left will retard 

 their growth, and probably cause disease. « here the 

 trees are about the proper distances apart, but still are 

 somewhat branchy, and perhaps contain two or three 

 stems, they should be well pruned, and, of several leaders 

 one only, and the best, left. In open spaces where the 

 trees are decidedly too far apart, and of course very 

 branchy, they should be trimmed up and endeavours 

 made to encourage a thicker growth by either dibbling 

 in seed or stirring up the ground with a scanner, so 

 that the seed from surrounding trees may find a bed 

 and have a chance of germination. Of course, the trees 

 of all ages should be properly pruned and care taken to 

 prevent crowding at any stage. In natural-grown forests 

 of wattles, such as I have been referring to, it is expected 

 that there is a regular succession of young trees ot all 

 a»es on nearly all portions of the ground. Every year' 

 will 'produce its number of trees, more or less according 

 to the favourableness or otherwise of the season for 

 germinating the seed. In this way there should always 

 be a certain number of trees available for stripping each 

 vear which must be removed in order to make room 

 for the gradual development of the next succeeding 

 rotation, and soon. Hence, as the various ages of growth 

 are mixed together, it is necessary that the operations 

 of stripping, thinning, and pruning be gone through 

 annually, in order that the health and development of 

 the torest may be maintained throughout. A\ e next 

 come to consider the process by which lauds upon which 

 wattles never grew can most profitably be put under a 

 crop of the tree. In order to meet aU cases of I Ins 

 kind it will be necessary for me to refer to it under 



the two heads — land upon which the plough can be used, 

 and that which is of too rough a character to admit of 

 this being used. With regard to the first-named class of- 

 country I advise as follows :— That the ground first of 

 all be thoroughly ploughed to a depth of not less than 

 four inches. Following this operation one or two seeds 

 should be put in at about from three to four feet apart, 

 in straight rows 5 ft. apart, all over the plantation. The ' 

 means adopted to distribute the seed in the manner de- 

 scribed may be either by hand or machinery. To those 

 about to engage in the wattle industry upon a largo 

 scale I would certainly recommend the use of machinery 

 upon open land. During the first two year's growth of 

 the plantation the vacant spaces between the rows should 

 be thoroughly opened up to the action of the air, light, 

 and rainfall by a scarifier. At the end of the first year 

 the rows should be gone over with the view of thinning 

 out each spot sown to one plant only, and this of course 

 to the most promising. When the young plants left from 

 the thinning operation have begun to grow freely, they 

 should be regularly attended to for one or two years in 

 the way of pruning. Afterwards the trees may be 

 safely left until they como in for stripping. I shall now 

 refer briefly to the class of country where the plough 

 cannot he used in the preparation of the ground for the 

 seed. In this case the crop will have to be put in with 

 the spade. During the early years of the plantation's 

 growth the operations of thinning and pruuing should bo 

 carried out with regard to an enclosure of this kind the 

 same as is recommended for laud where the plough can 

 be used for putting in the crop. With regard to the 

 distance apart at which wattle can be grown to the best 

 advantage in every respect, I am of opinion that until 

 the age of six or eight years they can be successfully 

 developed at distances ranging between four feet and six 

 feet from one another, but that after that period they 

 should stand between eight feet and ten feet apart. 

 The best period for pruniug is during the months from 

 January to March. Sowing the seed should be done 

 immediately after the winter season has thoroughly set 



PROFITS TO BE DEIIIVED FROM WATTLE CULTIVATION'. 



We now come to consider the most important subject 

 of this report, namely, that of the profits which may be 

 derived from the cultivation of the wattle-tree. At the 

 distances apart which I recommend the trees to be 

 grown — namely, four feet to six feet — there will be an 

 average of 1,200 trees to the acre. In order, however, 

 to make due allowance for blanks, I shall base my 

 calculations upon there being 1.0(10 only to each acre. 

 At the present time bark is selling at £7 10s. and £8 

 per ton, and there is every chance of a still higher 

 price being obtained for it during the next few years. 

 Still, to be on the safe side, 1 will put its value down 

 at £5 per ton only. I give five tons as the probable 

 yield per acre. That this is a low estimate will be ad- 

 mitted, when it is considered that this only allows for 

 101b. of bark to be taken from each tree. I shall now 

 give a tabulated statement of the probable revenue and 

 expenditure during a period of seven years, in connection 

 with a wattle plantation, formed upon 100 acres of 

 land specially purchased for the purpose, and upon 

 which wattle had not previously grown. Revenue. — To 

 value of property increased and improvements, -say £10; 

 value of 500 tons of bark at £5 per ton, £2,500; total, 

 £2,900. Expenditure— By purchase of 100 acres, at £3 

 per acre, £300; cost of substantial fence all round, say, 

 1J miles, at £50 per mile, £75 ; ploughing 100 acres, at 

 8s. per acre, £40; cost of 30 lb. of seed, at Is. per lb., 

 £1 10s. ; labour sowing the seed in rows, say at 5s. per 

 acre, £25 ; scarifying between the rows twice, at 4s, per 

 acre, £20; thinning and pruning for two years, at 10s. 

 per acre per annum, £100 ; forming firebreaks during the 

 third to seventh year, say £5 per annum, £25 ; sundries, 

 £50 ; interest on money expended during the seven years, 

 say £280; cost of stripping S00 tons of bark at 26s, per 

 ton, £250; balance, being clear profit, £1,108; total, 

 £2,900, thus giving a return of 7 per cent upon the 

 purchase of, and improvements upon, the property, as 

 well as a clear profit of £1,108 over and above tli.it 

 amount. 



