ll.ACK W'ATTr.F, INDl'STKN' 



293 



Williams says (page* 83) : "' It is. liowevcr, the total amoiiiit 

 of ' tanning matter ' obtained per tiee that should govern the 

 market value of a plantation, and that factor is seen to vary more 

 regularly with the age of the trees, especially in case of planta- 

 ii(^ns on a similar type of soil." 



T do not agree with this. It is the total amount of ' tanning 

 matter ' obtained per acre, combined with cost of harvesting and 

 \'alue of timber, that should govern the market value of a plan- 

 tation, and though that may vary with age. with some regularity 

 in a uniform espacement the regularity is quite upset when 

 different cspacements are compared together. 



X'aluable as Williams' report is, it has a weak point in that 

 he does not state at what espacement the trees stood, nor if the 

 espacement was ([uite regular, and this omission much reduces 

 the value of his work, especially as in one case showing some- 

 what abnormal results he states that the area was " fairly well 

 stocked with trees of irregular growth." Does that mean that 

 the esiiacement varied and the result was irregularity r 



Similar analyses taken from plantations having full stock at 

 various espacements, and thinned at various ages and in various 

 manners are, however, urgently wanted, and I direct the atten- 

 tion (->f Government to this as an early duty. 



W'illiams's figures nuich condensed, and taking the average 

 arrived at in each case, show as follows : 



Total 

 Weight of 

 Age. Soil. Dried 



Bark, 

 lbs. ozs. 



1. 3 years. Reddish grey 



soil. Damaged by 

 hail a few' months 

 previously 4 i 



2. 3 vears. Chocolate 



loam from dolerite ; 

 trees of irregular 

 growth T2 9 



3. 4 years. Soil thin, 



over shale . . ..11 o 



4. 5 years. Deep red cho- 



colate soil 26 1 1 



5. 6 years. Cholocate 



loam from dolerite 26 7 



6. 7 vears. Chocolate 



doleritic soil . . . . 38 o 



7. 8 vears. Red soil over 



shale. Below aver- 

 age in growth . . 34 3 



8. 9 vears. IModerate 



growth over shale 32 7 



9. 9 vears. On dolerite 



ridge 47 7 



Amount of Tannins. 



In Dried In Green 

 Bark. Bark. 



per cent, per cent. 



35- 



17.4 



Total 



Weight of 



Tannin. 



lbs ozs. 



