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creeks and waterholes, which did not formerly exist. The sheep also trod into the damp soil the pine seed 
which formerly perished on the surface, or was swept into the rivers by heavy rains. Hardening the 
surface soil will account for the more rapid rise of floods and the greater erosion of river beds. 
Mr. R. Wyndham writes* : 
The Hunter River Valley is now, generally speaking, all ringbarked, with the result that now dry 
creeks are running creeks, and dry gullies have waterholes in them. 
. . . . Before the valley was ringbarked the Hunter River was generally a chain of waterholes 
every summer ; now it is always a running stream. I have no fear of ringbarking causing droughts, but 
I fear it will cause higher floods, as it stands to reason that creeks and gullies full of water cannot carry off 
the rain that dry creeks and gullies can. . . . To show how trees make the ground dry and hard, I 
may mention that I once gave a contract for fencing on ringbarked country where I had clumps of trees 
left for cattle camps. The fence went through one of these clumps, and the ground was so hard that the 
men had great difficulty in getting down their post-holes. 
The writer forgets to point out that cattle make ground very hard around 
shelter trees through trampling. The tramping of cattle, in its effects of hardening 
the soil, of forming tracks and incipient water channels, breaking down the hanks 
of watercourses and setting up new conditions, is a most important factor in 
connection with the conservation of water and the mitigation of floods. 
********* 
The questions of ringbarking is a most important one in connection with my 
subject. I have already referred to it incidentally, and it is worthy of a little more 
emphasis in this place. 
One writer says : 
Squatters know the value of shade t<?0 much to carry the practice (of ringbarking) to too great 
an extent. 
Another says : 
The number of persons who give the matter a second thought is very small. 
I would ask How many gentlemen in New South Wales have ever critically 
supervised ringbarking on their holdings ? Is it not usually, " So many acres to 
ringbark ; so much per acre " ? Are important details connected with the 
topography of the land dealt with, or, in many cases, even thought of ? 
Most thoughtful men are of opinion that additional restrictions should be 
imposed on ringbarking on Crown lands. Mr. Inspector Forester Mantonf speaks 
very clearly as to the situation in the Murray River district. 
I do not oppose ringbarking it would be absurd to do so for the effect on 
the grasses is not open to question, and trees are sometimes killed because they 
afford shelter for vermin ; but I am speaking of careless ringbarking. I repeat, 
without any fear of effective contradiction, that there is much room' for more 
intelligent control of ringbarking in regard to the following points : 
1. Proper time to minimise' snrkcring. 
2. Valuable timber and shade 1 tn>es should not be unnecessarily sacrificed. 
3. The position of a tree with respect to the natural get-away of water in a particular paddock or 
mountain side should be considered. 
1 Sydney Morning Herald, lOtli January, 1899. 
t "Notes on Uingbarking and Sapping," based on Foresters' Reports." Agric. Gazette, X.S.W., January, 1894. 
