FORESTRY. 21 



Unmanufactured. Manufactured. 

 1900 



1901 15,283 .. 8,542 



1902 . . . . 275,332 . . . . 67,328 



1903 781,409 241,445 



The forest estimates for the current year provide for an expen- 

 diture of 16,770 ; for the ensuing year (1905-1906) the estimates 

 amount to 25,000. 



FORESTRY IN RHODESIA. 



Here we have a country in which forestry should play an impor- 

 tant part. The natural timbers of the country are almost all 

 excessively hard, while the majority of them are not durable and 

 season badly. The larger portion of the high veldt of Southern 

 Rhodesia is covered with forest of an open character, which, 

 though better than scrub, is far from being good timber forest. 

 Doubtless, it can be improved by demarcating out the areas 

 that are best wooded and best supplied with moisture, and 

 then husbanding the subsoil moisture by thinning into groups. 

 But very much must remain to be done by planting more valuable 

 exotic timbers, particularly Cedars and other timber of that class 

 which fall under the description of durable softwoods. We may 

 particularly mention several species of the genus Cedrela, Taxodium 

 mucronatum of Mexico, Cedrus deodara of the Himalayas, Callitris 

 calcarata and C. robusta of Australia, and lastly the slow-growing 

 true Cedars belonging to the genus Juniper us. A list of trees suit- 

 able to Rhodesia will be found in a report prepared by the author 

 for the Rhodes' Trustees in 1903. In this report are enumerated 

 440 valuable timber trees, which are more or less climatically suited, 

 to Southern Rhodesia. This list is divided into two portions, the 

 first embracing the more suitable trees, and the second comprising 

 trees which, although not entirely suited climatically to the country, 

 are worthy of test planting. Planting in Rhodesia is at present 

 almost entirely confined to the Botanic Gardens at Bulawayo and 

 Salisbury, and the fine work initiated by the Rhodes' Trustees in 

 the Matopa Park. In his will, leaving the Matopa Park and its 

 road and railway as a gift to the country, Mr. Rhodes enjoined 

 the planting of every suitable forest tree in the Matopos. This 

 injunction is now being carried out by the Rhodes' Trustees, 

 and the planting of the Matopa Park will, it is hoped, soon afford an 

 object lesson of the greatest value to the residents and others 

 interested in the country. The Matopa Forestry scheme embraces 

 the formation of a National Arboretum, which, for this semi-tropical 

 country, will supplement the extra-tropical arboreta in Cape Colony 

 and the Transvaal. 



The first step to be taken as regards Forestry in Rhodesia is to 

 determine what areas should be definitely reserved as forest, to 

 demarcate these out, and to protect them from fire. 



