April, lyn 



rescr\injj a few nati\c trees or 

 lilaiitinj; conifers in oul-of-the-way 

 l)laces on the farm being altogether 

 foreign to hinv, ami, imleetl, when 

 such a thing has been suggested, 

 the rcplv woukl he to the effect 

 that he had had too much to do 

 in removing the trees from his 

 farm to think of planting again, 

 (^uite recently, in the momth of 

 April, the writer visited the Wool- 

 north estate on the far North- 

 West Coast, and was given a great 

 treat in examining the gra/iui; 

 areas of the farm. The land tri- 

 ginally was covered with ti.trcc, 

 running in some casx's to a height 

 of oo i^t. When clearing, belts of 

 trees were reserved in order to 

 provide shelter for stock ^ and t o 

 prevent the grass from destruction 

 by the high and dry winds that 

 are often experienced in that part 

 of the countr)-. The effect has 

 been to provide at all times for 

 large numbers of cattle and sheep, 

 ensuring also the safety of root 

 and grain crops that are regularly 

 planted. Nothing could be more 

 pleasing to the eye than the wide, 

 park-like expanse stretching for 

 miles on e%ery side, giving the 

 greatest proof of the value) of shel- 

 ter-breaks of timber. To plant 

 siiccessfullv shelter-belts, it"" is not 

 necessary to use the best positions 

 on the farm or to place the trees 

 too close to the orchard ; nor is it 

 imperative that straight lines 

 should be followed. All spare or 

 unused spaces should be filled, 

 choosing the south, south-western, 

 and westerly sides, especially if 

 dealing with an orchard. Indeed, 

 in any case it is not wise to plant 

 heavily on the northern side of an 

 estate, as such planting would in- 

 terfere with much-needed supplies 

 of sunlight during the late autumn 

 or winter season. Fence lines, 

 rocky knolls, sandy ridges, and 

 even low, swampy places may be 

 treated, draining enough of the 

 water off to give the trees a start. 

 For timber purposes, as indeed for 

 shelter, the plants may be put in 

 fairlv close — in any case olose 

 enough to prevent a too low 

 branching, and encouraging the 

 trees to produce a long clean bole 

 before forming a head. To bring 

 this about, planting at from 6 to 

 8 feet apart should be followed, for 

 quick returns using a rapid-grow- 

 ing, hardy conifer. The farmer 

 must look forward to an enormous 

 increase in the production of but- 

 ter, making necessary a ' greatly 

 increased number of boxes (at pre- 

 sent imported from the mainland). 

 The fruitgrower is, or should be, 

 aware of the fact that something 

 like 2,000,000 cases are required 



yearly, at a cost of over £5o,0(X), 

 to hold the fruit produced in the 

 State, and that these cases go 

 forth antl never return ; also that 

 war by year the number required 

 is steadily increasing, and while 

 there are .still many large beds of 

 timber suitable for cases, the ccost 

 of procuring th<.' logs for cutting is 

 going up rajmlly, owing m'aiuly to 

 the distance and inacc'es,sibility of 

 the forests, and in a measure to the 

 increased cost of labour, the cases 

 having cost in se\eral instances as 

 much as jd., as ag^unst 4'^d. and 

 5d. two previous seasons. This is 

 a serioiis matter for the orchard- 

 ist, for while the cost of produc- 

 tion is increasing in every direc- 

 tion, there is no certainty of an in- 

 crease in the prices obtained for 

 his fruit. Having in view the fore- 

 going facts, the farmer and fruit- 

 grower, in their own interests, 

 should begin a policy of planting 

 for future requirements, and with- 

 out delay. 



There are not many estates 

 on which it would not be possible 

 to start a small nursery for the 

 production of young forest trees 

 (supposing the owners do not care 

 to purchase their supplies). The 

 seeds are easily collected, and 

 when the soil has been well pre- 

 jjared, may be sown thinly in 

 drills some 6 inches apart. The 

 tiny plant will soon appear, and 

 should be cared for during bright 

 sunny weather, weeds to be vigor- 

 ously excluded. With care the trees 

 should be ready for the operation 

 known as " wrenching " in the 

 month of March or April. A spade 

 is put down at an angle that will 

 ensure the cutting of all large 

 roots, being careful to keep at least 

 4 inches from the stem of the plant 

 when the spade is in position. 

 After severing the large roots,, a 

 gentle pressure is put on the upper 

 portion of the handle, lifting the 

 soil containing the seedling suffici- 

 ently to ensure the breaking of the 

 fibres mentioned. The soil is then 

 allowed to settle, and should the 

 little tree show signs of distress, a 

 gentle watering may be given. 

 The " wrenching " operation is 

 usuall}- repeated about the middle 

 of the month of IMay, following the 

 lines already laid down. The per- 

 manent planting is done during 

 ■Tuly and Ausfust in each year, the 

 soil being well broken, protection 

 from stock being provided. It will 

 be seen from the foregoing that the 

 trees may be got ready for plant- 

 ing from the seeding stage in one 

 year, saving much loss of time. 

 Tastfianian farmers and fruitgrow- 

 ers are advised to use the Monter- 

 ey pine, known generally as Pinus 



insigui.s, or Hcmarkablc pine, a 

 native of California, famous for its 

 ra])id growth in nearly all situa- 

 tions. It is known that in 15 

 years the tree, c\en when planteil 

 on the poorest soil, will produce 

 large (fuantities of timber suitable 

 'for butter boxes and fruit cases, 

 the wood being tough, light, and 

 durable. This pine will grow at 

 sea level, and is found luxuriating 

 at an elevation of 1,500 feet. This 

 fact alone should commend the use 

 of the tree in place of the many 

 other beautiful conifers that might 

 l>e brought into use for timber 

 inirposes but are of slow growth. 

 The case is an urgent one, aeces- 

 sitating the use of a tree that will 

 give the best return in the short- 

 est time. While there are areas 

 of eucalvnls that are becoming 

 reafforested naturally by being 

 closed against selection, it is cer- 

 tain that from 30 to 40 years 

 must elapse Ijefore the trees grow- 

 ing thereon are fit for use, it being 

 a well-known fact that our Blue- 

 gu'm is quite an infant at 60 years 

 of age, other representatives of the 

 genus being much the same. It 

 seems hopeless for the present 

 generation to look for m-uch as- 

 sistance from the source mention- 

 ed. In these circumstances it would 

 seem advisable that the exigencies 

 of the situation can only be met 

 by having recourse to the wide 

 iilanting of the known rapid-grow- 

 ing members of the pine family, of 

 which the Remarkable pine is 

 easily first. 



— Another Opinion. — 



Colonel Iv'egge, at the same con- 

 ference, read the following paper 

 on the Monterey Pine as a Shelter 

 and Timber Tree. 



To recapitulate shortly : the 

 pine was dealt with under two as- 

 pects ; firstly in relation to its 

 value to the farmer and pastoralist 

 as a " shelter " tree. In regard to 

 its qualifications, it was shown 

 from statistics of Australian fores- 

 try that it grows more quickly in 

 this southern region than any. 

 where else in the world : that its 

 foliage is denser, and its habit 

 more umbrageous, than any^ other 

 pine in Australia, or, indeed, any- 

 where else ; and that it is unique 

 among all known pines in retain- 

 ing its branches to the butt, the 

 con.sequence being that, if protect- 

 ed from damage hy stock when 

 young, it m.akes the best possible 

 shelter tree. 



SecondK- : an attempt was made 

 to show the fallacy of the idea, so 

 much abroad, that its timber is 

 useless. It was pointed out from 

 wide statistics that the w^ood, on 



