49 



At Kimberley and in the Karoo, for instance, the growth is 

 inferior to that of some other trees. At Kenilworth (Kim- 

 berley) the Blue-gum is steadily dying out and the remain- 

 ing trees have a diseased unhealthy look. Generally in 

 Cape Colony the Blue-gum is the fastest growing tree that 

 can be planted, and should be preferred when a large bulk 

 of coarse timber is sought. Old trees produce a tough 

 timber useful for many purposes, such as sleepers, naves 

 of wheels, and house building. Tt is a wood that can be 

 sawn without difficulty, but which the cross grain renders 

 very hard to split or plane. The Blue-gum in good growth 

 fas on the Mlgiri Mountains in S. India) will run up 1 ft. 

 per month or 10 ft. per year, for the first 8 or 9 years, and 

 in bulk will yield a yearly increment of 10 tons of wood 

 (reduced to dry weight) per acre per year for 25 years or 

 more. In the Government plantation at Worcester, Cape 

 Colony, figures not much below these have been realized. 

 The Blue-gum coppices, i.e., shoots again when cut, so in 

 this respect also it is well adapted for fuel plantations 

 Natural reproduction from seed is uncertain and rarely 

 abundant. 



The Blue-fijum wood from the Worcester plantation was 

 sold for use in the diamond mines of Kimberley: The 

 plantation was formed in 1877. The net profit from 60 

 acres (after allowing interest at 3 per cent, on the cost of 

 formation and up-keep) was <3,438. The coppice re-growth 

 is denser and stronger than the trees originally planted. 



As a further illustration of the value of a Blue -gum fuel 

 copse, let us take the case of a few acres planted near the 

 homestead of a farm. An ordinary household in fairly well- 

 to-do circumstances uses about five tons of coal or its equiva- 

 lent per year. One acre of Blue-gum copse in fair growth 

 will yield continually ten tons (dry weight) of wood fuel 

 per year. The cutting up of the small wood yielded by 

 coppice is not expensive ; but let us suppose that of this 

 ten tons of wood nearly one-half goes in working expenses, 

 and that from one acre of Blue-gum copse we only obtain 

 the net equivalent of five tons of coal, we arrive then at 

 the conclusion that one acre of Blue-gum copse will keep a 

 household always comfortably supplied with fuel free of cost* 



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