500 THE CEDAR. \ PLANTATION. 



Mr. Lister recommended Air. T. R. Sim, a Cape Forest 

 officer, for the appointment of Conservator of Forests. Mr. Sim 

 took up his appointment in September, 1902. 



In the first Annual Report of the Conservator of Forests. 

 i.e., that for 1902, it was stated that afforestation was one of the 

 ])rimary objects of the Government's present policy. Mr. Sim 

 advised a settled and continuous ]X)licy of afforestation in order 

 that all work undertaken may be properly arran_CTed, and was 

 prepared to organise the industry and proceed at whatever rate 

 the Government was able to sup})ly the necessary funds. 



The Natal Government, following Mr. Lister's advice, de- 

 cided to commence operations at Cedara, placing about 1.350 

 acres available for afforestation ; though Mr. Sim pointed out 

 " that the area was mostly, either very steep, or very rocky, and 

 consequently it is both more difficult and more expensive to 

 prepare than more easily ]:)louohable land. The site was selected 

 on account of being the least suitable i^art of the farm for 

 agricultural operations. Some of the land was so rocky that it 

 was suggested that it be left unplanted. The as])ect mostly 

 iaces north, and is consequently the o])])osite to that where 

 natural forests are found, and except in the upper and very 

 rocky part, it is outside the mist belt which occupies the southern 

 and eastern aspects of the same range. Altogether, the site 

 cannot be regarded as a favourable forestal one, except to prove 

 what can be done under rather adverse conditions." 



In 1902 active operations were commenced by preparing 

 land and establishing a nursery and engaging a small staff". The 

 avowed object of the afforestation operations was to produce 

 timiber for railway sleepers and general technical purposes to 

 re])lace that which was being imported. It was not the intenti(Mi 

 of the newly established Dej^artment to come in ccMiflict with 

 local and alreadv established industries, but rather to grow the 

 kinds of timber which private enterprise was not. on account of 

 the time element, prepared to invest its caj^ital in. 



In 1903 the first trees were planted, and considerable areas 

 .sown with Cluster Pine seed, in all about 407 acres having 

 api>roximately 700,000 trees. 



A seed store was established, and tree seeds as well as 

 transplants from the nursery .sold to the general ]iublic at such 

 rales as to place them within the means of all sections of the 

 comnuniity. (iradually the lun-sery became known, and has been 

 the means of distributing nian\- hundreds of thousands of trees 

 lo all i^arts of Natal. 



In addition to the purel}- forestr\- work, two Arboreta were 

 ])Ut down, one having the individual trees widely si:)ace(l so as 

 to permit of free and natural de\elopment, and the other in 

 crowded groups, so as to deiuonstrate the relative height growths 

 and sui)ply data as to the value of timl)er. density of crop, etc.. 

 etc. 



As the Forest Department controlled all tree-planting opera- 

 ti<.ns at Cedara, it fell to its province to lay down the various 



