﻿156 Transactions, — Miscellaneous. 



has been done, but, as the means of commnnication are improved, there is no 

 doubt that a great deal more timber will be obtained from these districts ; the 

 extension of the dray road up the Maitai will enable fire-wood cutters to work 

 where they have been unable to do so hitherto, and, if the road was but a good 

 one, there is no doubt that a great deal of wood would be brought in from 

 there. The destruction of the forest in the basin of the Maitai I conceive to 

 be prejudicial to the safety of the town in the highest degree, so much so, that 

 I feel no hesitation in stating it as my opinion that before two-thirds of the 

 water-shed of the Maitai are bared of timber, the destructiveness of the floods 

 will have so increased that all the lo^v^er parts of the town will be converted 

 into shingle bed. As the upper parts of the rivers in the province run for the 

 most part through wooded country, composed to a great extent of drift shingle, 

 very great destruction may hereafter be confidently expected if steps are not 

 taken, on some general scheme, to preserve the woods which clothe the moun- 

 tain drainage basins, and to protect the river banks from damage^ 



For the protection of the river banks, I would suggest the planting of 

 willows, in great quantities, all along the banks and on the shelving gravel 

 beds. Cattle should be kept from destroying the trees, which should be planted 

 on every available part of the river bed \ all low flats should also be planted 

 with useful trees, and every little streamlet and water-course that cairies 

 shingle should be well planted. The great object to be attained is to prevent 

 shingle from travelling in the first instance as much as possible, and this can 

 be achieved to a great extent in all open ground by planting along the water- 

 courses. An excellent example of the efficacy of this system can be observed 

 at Stoke, near N^elson, on the property of Mr. Marsden, where a dangerous 

 and troublesome stream has been carefully and judiciously planted in this 

 manner, with willows in the bed and European trees on the bank, and thus 

 changed from a destructive torrent into a pleasant brook, which greatly adds 

 to the beauty of the grounds. In the large streams, where the banks are 

 perpendicular and are at present being tmdermined, planting could not be 

 executed without other measures were taken in connection with it. The banks 

 would reqiiire to be well sloped, or, if the land was sufficiently valuable, it 

 might be worth while to undertake the erection of engineering works to divert 

 the current from the bank until the planting could be properly efiected. But 

 it must be borne in mind that so long as the higher parts of the rivers are 

 neglected, whatever may be done on the lower levels will be of very little use, 

 for, if the action of the river is to raise its bed, any protective works that may 

 have been erected on the banks will require to be raised as the bed rises, thus 

 entailing a constant outlay. The streams should be encouraged to meander at 

 first as much as possible over the existing shingle beds, for, by encouraging the 

 length, the fall and velocity are naturally diminished. 



