WATTLES AND WATTLE-BARKS. 63 



commence to grow till twelve months after they are planted. I have no 

 doubt that they will grow much better under the bamboo system." 



In another letter my correspondent says : " Trees four years old are 25 to 

 28 feet high, and 5 inches in diameter at 3 feet from the ground. They had 

 no shelter." 



The following interesting observations of Mr. William Bauerlen are 

 instructive, as showing the advantages of cultivating natural seedlings of 

 wattle, instead of allowing them to take their chance in other words, they 

 are responsive to any attention. At the same time, this method is most 

 successful in rainy rather cold districts : 



Major's Creek, near Araluen, New South "Wales, planted green wattles 

 from seedlings in August, from 12 to 15 inches high. 



Height. Girth. 



G years old ... 1 ... 25 ft. ... 30 in., 3 ft. above ground. 



... 2 ... 28 ... 24 



... 3 ... 21 ... 21 



4 years old... 1 ... 20 ... 24 



... 2 ... 18 ... 20 



2 years old... 1 ... 15 ... 11 



None of the wattles from the place from which these were taken for 

 planting (and some even exceed six years in age), exceed 15 feet in height, 

 and 10 inches in girth. 



In the same locality, there is a tree ten years old, which is 30 feet in 

 height, and has a girth of 3 feet 7 inches. The tree is remarkably straight 

 and healthy, the bark on the trunk having quite a smooth young appearance 

 yet. A tree of the same dimensions out in the bush would have a dark, 

 rough, furrowed bark, and would doubtless be twice the age. 



Mr. Evan Francis, when at Bega, also experimented with bush seedlings, 

 and this is what he says : 



" In six months the trees ranged from 10 to 15 feet in height. The taller 

 trees were in the more sheltered positions. Single specimens in open ground 

 did not succeed half as well as those in the centre of the grove, where they 

 were mutually sheltered. A distance of 9 feet, plant from plant, seemed the 

 correct thing. 



" At two years the trees were fine saplings of about on an average 20 to 25 

 feet high. We estimated that a yield of from 30 to 40 Ib. of dry bark 

 would be given by these trees at four years old, but they reached their prime 

 at six years, when the bark at the lower parts of the trees had great 

 substance, and the yield of dry bark would be fully 60 Ib. ; and I am sure 

 selected trees would have reached 100 Ib." 



