.'i'Ri:i-; ri.w 1 1 \(; ( o.m ri rinoxs i x naial. ,V'9 



ihaii 3Kst Ueccnilicr. i()05. The luiniinuni area was fixed at 

 10 acres, and all trees lo be planted in their permanent sites be- 

 tween ist January. i()04. and 31st December, 1905. Ft was 

 fiulher stipulated iliat areas above 10 acres in extent and up 

 to 50 acres would count for points. No one ]jlantation to be 

 less than 3 acres. The ])lantations to be jndg-ed in kjto, when 

 the xoungest trees would l)c at least five years old. The choice 

 "f species was left to the individual competitors, with the excep- 

 tion of the followin^i^ kinds — Blue Gum, Black and ."Silver Wattle 

 and Tnsionis Pine — which were debarred. 



The response was again disapjjointing ; there was only one 

 entrant, namely, Mr. Andred .'^danders, of Kelvin, in the Berg- 

 ville Division, though it is reported several others started plan- 

 cations. Mr. Scla\jiders planted over 100 acres. In April, 

 1910. Mr. M. S. Evans personally judged the plantation and 

 awarded a first prize of £30. The writer last year visited the 

 l)lantation. and, generally speaking, it is a splendid success, con- 

 taining many varieties of useful timber trees. 



Tlie net result of Mr. ^1. S. Evans' second efifort was a 

 plantation lOO acres in extent, costing in prize money 6s. ])er 

 acre. 



it would appear that Mr. M. S. Evans did nnt renew iiis 

 ' iffer. 



In 1907 Mr. T. R. .^ini was retrenched and his office 

 alxilished. 



When 'Sir. Sim was retrenched Mr. Orlando ITosking. 

 with a view to keeping alive the interest in tree-planting, moved 

 at the Annual Farmers' Conference at Maritzburg, held in April. 

 1909, a resolution submitted by the Royal Agricultural Society, 

 to the eitect that steps be taken to draw the attention of the 

 Governments of South .\frica to the advisability of tree-])lanting 

 (wattles not included), and that the Farmers' Union start the 

 movement by offering awards for Natal as follows: Say, iioo, 

 ±50 and £25 for the best 15 acres laid down in good timber 

 trees, 20 entries to be received or no awards made. The Govern- 

 ment to be asked to appoint a judge at their own cost. Judg- 

 ing to take place in May. 1915. Entrance fee, los. 6d. 



X'arious views were expressed by the members of the Con- 

 ference, it being pointed out that the amount recjuired, i.e., £175. 

 amounted practically to the whole of the Societ}'s income. The 

 resolution w-as lost. 



Mr. Hosking, not discouraged, approached the individual 

 members of the Conference, and succeeded in obtaining a 

 guarantee for the recjuired sum. and at a later stage of the Con- 

 ference stated that the matter in regard to the tree-planting 

 competition had been arranged so that no financial burden fell 

 on the Agricultural Union, and proposed that the Agricultural 

 Union and the Royal Agricultural Society co-operate in the 

 management of the scheme, and he moved that a Committee be 

 a])]ioimed. This was agreed to, and the following gentlemen were 



