210 TlMEHRI. 
No. 3. — By George 31. Pearce. 
This subject is one of particular importance to a 
colony such as this, possessed of large quantities of 
valuable timber, the future extermination of which is 
threatened by the indiscriminate and careless felling 
of trees not yet come to maturity. The destruc- 
tion of valuable young trees committed by that short- 
sighted, and as a rule, grossly ignorant class of men the 
wood-cutters, is almost incredible. When rollers are 
required, over which the already squared timber is to be 
dragged, no judgment is used as to what trees should be 
cut for that purpose. The nearest straight and round 
one is felled, without any thought whether that tree 
will or will not be of value in the future. Again, a very 
great many valuable trees are destroyed by the col- 
lectors of balata. These trees, as a rule, have arrived 
at maturity ; but after the gum has been extracted they 
are left to rot. This is the more deplorable as a great 
deal of balata could be collected, if care and discrimina- 
tion were used, with little or no injury to the growth of 
the tree's. 
It would be almost impossible to put a stop to the 
former of the two methods of destruction. The latter 
could be prevented, by prohibiting the exportation of ba- 
lata ; but I do not suggest that this should be done. The 
cost for perfect supervision to prevent the destruction of 
trees alluded to above would be a great deal more than 
the value of the timber they would ever give. However 
