98 



million acres of woods j and by 1873, she had lost eight, leaving her but twelve million 

 acres. The destruction was principally ca,used, not by clearing, but by ■ carelessness in 

 allowing bush fires ; and it was evident the land would, at that rate, soon be deforested 

 altogether. The well-known writer, Hochstetter, says: — "Individuals should not be 

 suflfered to turn the country into a desert to the detrisaent of whole generations to come. 

 The woods are ransacked and ravaged, in New Zealand, with fire and sword. During my 

 stay in Auckland, I was able to observe from my windows, during an entire fortnight, 

 dense clouds of smoke whirling up, which proceeded from an enormously destructive confla- 

 gration near the town. When the fire had subsided, where had been a large beautiful tract 

 of forest was now nothing but ashes." An official of the New Zealand Company had also 

 pointed out the destructive propensities of Ijhe settlers in cutting down valuable wood. 

 He says : — "A melancholy scene of waste and destruction presented itself to me when I 

 went up to see the forest. Several square miles of it were burning, having been fired in 

 order to make room for the conveyance of logs down the creek. Noble trees, which had 

 required ages for their perfection, were thus ruthlessly destroyed in great numbers." 



lir consequence of this state of afiairs, public opinion in New Zealand was loudly 

 expressed, and numerous reports were presented to the Legislature causing animated 

 debates, and large and valuable compilations of these were published. By this time, there 

 is every reason to believe, if these reports and plans have been properly attended to and 

 carried out. New Zealand has made good progress in the matter, though we have not, as 

 in South Australia, an actual Forest Literature, such as the conservator there has pub- 

 lished. 



United States. 



The United States have for some years past established a bureau of forestry under 

 the able superintendence of Dr. Hough, who has issued several valuable yearly reports, 

 and whom I have to thank for copies of these as well as for other valuable publi- 

 cations connected with the subject. Largely in consequence of Dr. Hough's labours 

 tree-planting is receiving a rapid impetus throughout the United States, especially in the 

 prairie sections ; while in many of those States which have been principally cleared of 

 their forest, great interest is being created in the subject, and important works beinc car- 

 ried out. 



EXPERIMENTS IN PLANTING IN THE STATES AND CANADA, AND 

 DIRECTIONS FOUNDED THEREON. 



Trek Seeds. — Methods op Planting. 



In a report of a committee upon forestry, made to the Iowa State Horticultural 

 Society in 1875, by Prof. Henry H. McAfee, the following practical statements are made 

 upon this subject : — 



" Seeds may be classified for purposes of treatment into three sorts, viz : nuts, hard 

 seeds, and soft seeds. The nuts should always be planted where they are to remain per- 

 manently, as the nut-trees do not usually transplant without considerable injury, and the 

 nuts must be kept damp from the time when they are ripe till planted ; at least the 

 kernel nahist not be allowed to become dry, or they will surely fail to grow. Thin, soft- 



