lo Aug., 1 910.] The Ovens River Valley. S°l 



extreme head of the Ovens River Valley beyond Harrietville, and this 

 timber will probably be used before any new plantations come into active 

 bearing. 



The re- afforestation is only likely to be carried out on proper permanent 

 lines if it is entrusted to the Forests Department, for forestry from its 

 very nature is more essentially a State function than almost any other. 

 Where the land is not on lease, but has been sold outright, there might be 

 some difficulty as to tenure. Dredging is a modern occupation with ill- 

 defined legal obligations. The social aspect of the question is a simple 

 one. Land sold for dredging purposes is, when dredged, useless for an\ 

 other purpose than forestry in the Ovens River Valley. Forestry is a 

 State function and when land sold for dredging has been rendered unfit 

 for any other use it should revert to the State. It would be a simple 

 matter by enforcing the Thistle Act to bring about a voluntary relinquish- 

 ment of the land, since it would not pay to keep land idle and at the 

 same time free from weeds. 



On some of the older dredged flats, the commencement of a natural 

 process of re- afforestation can be seen, some of the older tailings heaps 

 being abundantly self-sown with the Silver Wattle mixed with occasional 

 Gum Trees. It has, in fact, been suggested that the land might be used 

 to grow wattles for wattle bark. Unfortunately, the more valuable Black- 

 wood, although it grows in the district, does not appear to thrive, and 

 profitable forestry cannot bt- left to chance but depends mainly upon 

 svstematic planting and the .selection of suitable trees. 



Forest Flora. 



The trees of the district are comparatively limited in numVjer, and are 

 mainly confined to nine species of Eucalypt and three species of Acacia. 

 A few other shrubs or small trees are present, but do not attain suflicient 

 size to be of value for timber. A list of these, together with the other non- 

 economic plants of the district, will be i)ublished elsewhere. The list of 

 the Acacias and Eucalypts is given beneath : — 



Acacias. 



Acacia dealbata, Link, " Silver Wattle." 

 Acacia melanoxylon, R. Br., " Blackwood.'" 

 Acacia fravissima, F.v.M., "Alpine Wattle." 



Eucalyfts. 



Eucalyptus amygdalina, Labill, " Peppermint Gum." 



Eucalyptus Gunnii, Hook, f., " Swamp Gum."' 



Eucalyptus Stuartiana, F.v.M., "Apple Gum." 



Eucalyptus paucijiora, Sieber, var. alpina, "Weeping (".um. 



Eucalyptics Sieberiana, F.v.M., " Mountain Ash." 



Eucalyptus viminalis, Labill, " Manna Gum." 



Eucalyptus stellidata, Sieber, " Black Sally." 



Eucalyptus dives, Schau, " Dwarf Messmate." 



Eucalyptus rubida. Maiden and Deane, " Candle Bark." 



Eucalyptus elceophora* , F.v.M., [E. Cambagei, Maiden and Deane). 



On the sides of the vallev of the Ovens, most of the good timber has been 

 cut awav and used as fuel, leaving a thin covering mainly of poor, irregu- 

 lar, dwarfed, twisted or diseased trees useless for timber. In a forest kept 

 under proper control, the reverse .should be the case. The first thinnings, 



This species grows near Sriyht, aiirl becomes more abundant to\vi>rds the Buffalo ifountains. 



