2l6 



RINC-BARKINC 



blue gum, white gum, flooded gum, peppermint, yate, and black-butt. 

 All, with one exception, agree that the banksia may be killed by 

 ring-barking at any period of the year, the dissentient being in 

 favor of the months of January, February and March. 



Referring to jarrah, red gum, and black-butt, Mr. J. Forster 

 Johnston, of Leschenault, writes : " I have had over 1,000 acres 

 ring-barked on my Preston property in different months, varying 



from March to Novem- 

 ber, -and found it all 

 effective." Referring to 

 the " Leschenault blue 

 gums" the same writer 

 says : " These trees I 

 rind very difficult to kill. 

 Some few will die right out 

 and others live for years." 

 The late Mr. Andrew 

 Muir, of Lake Muir, 

 writes : u I rind the best 

 time to ring-bark in our 

 district is in the months 

 of September, October, 

 and the early part of November, for jarrah, red gum and black-butt. 

 Yate requires ringing in January, as, if rung at that time, it will die 

 in a few days, and will not throw up suckers, which it will do if 

 rung in the winter months. . . . White gum you can ring at 

 any time when the bark strips freely ; in fact, it is no use ringing 

 any tree if it will not bark freely." 



Mr. J. P. O. Wellard, of Mornington, writes : "In ring-barking 

 I have found the months named (January, February and March) 

 the best for my land. The trees take longer to die, but they do 

 not throw out any suckers. I think it will be found very hard to 

 lay down any hard and fast rules about ringing, as it will be found 

 not only to vary in different districts, but also in the same districts, 

 as to the best time of the year." 



Hltirkhm's. Mr. Wellard continues : " What is almost as 

 nece^ai v as ringing the timber here in the hills, is having the 

 blackboys cut down. I have had some land chopped and iind the 

 stock much prefer the cleared land to that where the blackboys are 

 still growing in the same paddock. Price for chopping the black- 

 boys, about 2s. per acre." On this subject Mr. J. Forster Johnston 

 \vrites : " I have 100 acres at the Preston ... so thick with 

 blackboys that I have known a stockman to ride three times round 

 the block before he could rind a beast in it, so I determined to 

 have the blackb.ys chopped off. I let 50 acres to an old man at 

 2s. 6d. per acre . . . and on settling up he was so satisfied 

 that he walked back 40 miles to do the other 50 acres and had a 

 nice cheque to take. My neighbors laughed at me for doing this, 



