316 REPORT — 1891. 



plied to the United States, covering a period of sixty-six years." 

 Per contra, our later visitor, Mr. I)avid Christie Murray, told 

 me a short time ago that in the Ardennes, where he had lived 

 for many years, it had been observed that the rainfall had 

 been seriously affected by the destruction of the indigenous 

 forest. 



There is a good deal of evidence — much of it more or less 

 untrustworthy — on both sides of the question ; but I believe the 

 balance falls on the side of the views which I have expressed, 

 and this is what we should expect from a ^jriWi considerations. 

 The powers of nature which determine general weather are too 

 Titanic for man to hope to overcome. He does not even 

 thoroughly understand them yet, for meteorology is the newest 

 of the sciences. But what knowledge we do possess goes to 

 show that nine-tenths of the rain that falls is cyclonic, and 

 thus general weather depends on widely-operating physical 

 laws, M'hich man will best recognise his own interests by bowing 

 to as inevitable. In India, where at one time they largely 

 held the notion that they could by reforestation modify an 

 extremely hot and, considering their requirements, dry climate, 

 after large experience in this kind of work they have entirely 

 changed their views, and no longer struggle to avert the 

 inevitable or accomplish the impossible. Some of the British 

 colonies, however, still attempt this feat. They have so long 

 repeated the ordinary phrases about forests causing rain that 

 they have come to believe them eternal verities. 



As long as the configuration of New Zealand has been what 

 it is, the prevailing western winds have deposited their precious 

 burden on the western sides and summits of the Southern 

 Alps, and on those portions of their eastern flanks and the 

 country beyond to which they could travel without mounting 

 more than, say, 4,000ft. This is one of those wide and general 

 features of climate depending on our latitude (the "roaring 

 forties"), our insular position, and the existence of a high 

 range of mountains running from north to south near the 

 western shores. To alter this feature in any material way 

 wdiatever, man is perfectly impotent ; and, where the rain falls 

 heavily, there the forest heavily covers the land ; where less 

 heavily, there the trees grow in patches ; where very lightly, 

 there the shady woods are wanting, and the plains are treeless. 

 Above, say, 4,500ft. forest-growth ceases, and stunted vegeta- 

 tion only is found ; for at that height cold checks growth, and, 

 instead of rain, for the most part snow falls. 



Of course, the nature of the soil and other circumstances 

 are factors of the greatest importance ; but, generally speaking, 

 in a country unoccupied by civilised man the forest-areas will 

 be the areas of heavy rainfall. A good map showing clearly the 

 forests of New Zealand, if we took into account the woods 



