EUCALYPTUS TREES. 55 



have all but succumbed already. Hence each Forest 

 Board can best frame its own by-laws or local regula- 

 tions, subject to the approval of ministerial authority ; 

 each can best judge of its own particular requirements, 

 not only, for the present generation, but also of such 

 as will be urgent at a time when the children and 

 grand-children of the earlier colonists will have to 

 form their judgment on the wisdom or shortcomings 

 of their ancestors here at a time when the want of 

 foresight may fall most crushingly on the vitality or 

 progress of many an industry or even the whole pros- 

 perity of the colony, or when, otherwise, the early 

 operations of thoughtful local residents will prove to 

 posterity an incalculable benefit. It will then become 

 apparent whether the present colonists have done 

 their duty to their descendants, and havebeen faith- 

 ful to the future interests of their adopted country ; 

 or whether they sunk all their ideas and efforts in 

 temporary gain, regardless of all consequences. Each 

 forest district, thus guarded by local administrators, 

 will be able to produce a far larger income than now 

 is raised from any of our wood areas ; while the re- 

 moval of timber will be brought within more reason- 

 able bounds, and the wants of the future no longer be 

 disregarded. Means of disposal of the wood, differ- 

 ent to the regulations now in force, would be adopted, 

 to save, in places much denuded already of wood, the 

 rest of the timber from complete destrHction. Thus, 

 for instance, trees might be sold by numbers at cer- 

 tain sizes, with saving of the youthful trees ; or the 

 wood might be removed by the square mile, with a 

 view of replanting. The reckless ringing of trees 

 (merely to obtain a little more grass) and stripping of 



