WALKER.—State Forestry : its Aim and Object. 195 
in this direction, will certainly prove true economy in the end. If sowing 
is to be adopted, let the land be thoroughly well prepared ; in most cases, 
especially in that of fern land, it will be found that the soil is sour, and 
must weather for some months, or even a year, before fit to receive the 
seed. Let the seed be of the best, and bear in mind that although most 
tree seeds, if kept dry, will remain good for an indefinite length of time, if 
they are once moistened sufficiently to cause them to swell, they wi 
mmediately rot, unless sufficient moisture be supplied to foster germination, 
and growth ; and spare no pains to sow it evenly in the ground. I may 
state that of the two methods of sowing in rows or drills, and broadeast, I 
prefer the latter, the land having been well turned up with a sub-soil 
plough, and harrowed, the harrow being passed over again after the seed is 
sown. I find the results from this method better than from sowing in rows 
or even dibbling in the seed at intervals. Sowing broom seed with that of 
the Eucalypti has been found to answer well in Canterbury, and recom- 
mends itself as giving shelter to the young trees, besides which it can be 
utilized as firewood ; but be careful not to put in more broom than tree 
seed, as I have seen done, and do not mix the Eucalypti with other 
descriptions, unless it be the Tasmanian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), 
as they do not admit of congeners. By attending to these and similar 
simple rules, excellent results may be obtained from sowing the Eucalypti, 
as may be seen from inspection of some tracts thus treated in Canter- 
bury, notably at the Reformatory at Burnham, where the cost is estimated at 
thirty shillings per acre, without including the fencing. Do not be afraid 
to let the trees grow up very thickly for the first few years, they will soon 
thin themselves, or a light thinning about the fifth year wil be all that is 
required. Of course, bare spaces may be filled up in the first or second 
year, by transplants from portions where the seed has germinated freely, 
but it is scarcely possible in a plantation grown from seed to secure that 
regularity or evenness of growth attained by transplanting from nursery 
beds—i.e., planting, as compared with sowing in situ. In the case of all 
trees grown for ornament, of the more valuable descriptions, or indeed 
wherever the results aimed at will well repay the expense, I am strongly in 
favour of the planting-out system. In adopting this method, too much 
care cannot be taken with regard to the nursery treatment. The Germans 
speak of the seedlings whilst in the nursery beds as “in the school," and 
that expresses exactly how they should be considered and treated. The 
great aim and object of nurseries, which is perhaps too often lost sight of, 
is to establish, harden, and root the young plants in a comparatively small 
can be watered and attended to in a manner which 
area, where they 
except at an enormous expense, after they are planted 
becomes impossible, 
