221 



clearing when the trees are green is, for the district, 2 155. per 

 acre, and half this sum per acre when the trees are dead. 



NORTHAM DISTRICT. 



raricties uf trees. York gum, jam, morrell, white gum, gimlet 

 wood, salmon gum, manna gum, wattles, sheoaks, flooded 

 gum. 



Method and time of destruction. Mr. Gregory advises ringing 

 salmon and flooded gums, sheoak and jam, and sapping white and 

 York gums. This, in the main, is also the advice of the Irishtown 

 branch, while Mr. Throssell advises sapping all the trees except 

 the jam, which should be rung. Mr. Dempster furnishes an 

 interesting note on the destruction of the York gum. He writes : 

 " All trees or scrub can be killed at once by sap-ringing, but the 

 York gum throws out shoots for years after the top of the tree has 

 been killed, and the cost of keeping under the suckers is more 

 than that of ringing in the first instance. I have not yet met any 

 one who can speak positively as to the best time of the year for 

 ringing these trees. Occasionally, some die and give no further 

 trouble, but as a rule they will not under the present system. Kill- 

 ing the tree slowly by barking I think is the most effectual. I have 

 an idea, supported by facts, that goes to prove that by killing the 

 tree slowly the strength returns to the soil, for the best results I 

 have ever seen from ringing have been by the slow process." 



Mr. Dempster and Mr. Throssell have apparently succeeded 

 in killing the other trees by either ring-barking or sapping all the 

 year round, but they both evidently incline to doing the work in 

 the summer. The former says : " I rather think that the summer 

 ring-barking is best for York gums and large trees of the same 

 class." Mr. Throssell writes : " I have not arrived at any con- 

 clusion, as I have succeeded in the matter of effectually killing 

 the gums by ring-barking during all the months of the year. I 

 prefer summer for either sapping or ring-barking. In the latter 

 the process is slower, but more effective." The Irishtown branch 

 advise that the work should be done between November and 

 March, while Mr. Gregory favors January and February for 

 York and \vhite gums, and September and October for the 

 others. 



Eject of destruction of trees upon the water supply and growth 

 of native grasses. There is a decided consensus of opinion that the 

 destruction of timber improves both the water supply and the 

 growth of the native grasses. Mr. Throssell writes in reference to 

 the latter : " Especially is this noticeable on the salmon gum 

 country, which prior to killing the timber is devoid of herbage. 

 The effect is marvellous, as different species of grasses put in an 

 appearance the first winter after the timber has been ring-barked, 

 and grow luxuriantly. Owing to this ' discovery ' the salmon gum 

 country is coming into great favor." 



