AUCKLAND DOMAIN TREBS. 1? 
a climate too cold for it, is Kauri growing faster than the ordinary 
Pine tree of Europe. 
‘‘ At Dargaville (latitude 36°) Mr. Mitchelson showed me a Kauri he 
had planted that at sixteen years from planting was 9in. in diameter 
and 32 ft. high. Here is a Kauri, in its own climate, with nearly double 
the growth of the New Plymouth tree, and far beyond all practical com- 
parison with Scotch-pine, for the normal for Scotch-pine at sixteen years 
in medium-quality forest is 14 in, diameter and 13 ft. in height. 
‘* In the Jubilee Park, Dunedin, are two Beeches growing side by side 
—Fagus fusea (New Zealand) and Fagus sylvatica (Kurope). They are 
the same age, but the New Zealand Beech is distinctly larger. In the same 
park is a collection of Kuropean and New Zealand Beech trees which 
show similar result. 
** Auckland Domain.—A number of planted native trees in the Auck- 
land Domain were systematically measured, and described in a paper read 
before the Auckland Institute in 1887. They were then twenty years 
old from planting, and this investigation showed that at that age the 
native trees averaged about 1 ft. in height-growth per year, and about 
in. diameter-growth per year. ‘There the conditions are not so favour- 
able as in the New Plymouth Botanic Gardens; the surroundings are 
less like the shade and shelter of the native forest, but the growth is 
still far above the European forest standard. Rimu and Kauri, the 
two important timber-trees of New Zealand, grew the fastest, and at 
twenty years they averaged 8 in. diameter and 28 ft. high. The rapid 
early growth is well shown in this photo of yearly growth-rings (Plate III). 
A Scotch-pine on soil of medium quality in central Europe at the same 
age will average 2 in. in diameter and 17 ft. in height (Schlich’s ‘ Manual 
of Forestry,’ vol. 3, p. 343). Thus the standard European pine has 
little more than half the height-growth and exactly one-fourth the thick- 
ness of these Rimu and Kauri trees in the Auckland Domain at the same 
age.”’ 
In December, 1916, I remeasured the trees in the Auckland Domain, 
they being then fifty years old. Diameters were taken at 5 ft. above the 
ground to the nearest inch: the heights were taken with Stanley’s 
apomecometer, the instrument used by H. J. Elwes, F.R.S., in the 
measurements taken for his work in ‘‘ Trees of Great Britain and 
Treland.’’ My instrument was verified by Messrs. Littlejohn, of Welling- 
ton, and an index correction applied. It will be noted that the growth 
of these trees has fallen off since they were opened out to produée park 
conditions, The boles of the trees have clearly sufiered from more than 
one overthinning, some branching badly and some forking; indeed, most 
of the trees, excepting Kauri and White-pine, have boles too branchy 
to measure. The boles also show distortion from bark-injuries, the 
locality ‘‘ Lover’s Walk ’’ being a favourite public resort. Tanekaha, 
of which there are ten trees, is particularly badly forked and suffering 
from bark-injuries. This, in the forestry of the future, will probably 
be the second or third most valuable native tree in the north. The pre- 
sent appearance of these native trees in the Auckland Domain is not up. 
to the average of planted native trees elsewhere. Thus in the “ Pro- 
menade,’’ Palmerston North, I saw a Celery-top that at four years planted 
was ll ft. high. A minute’s glance round this interesting collection of 
native trees shows that the best timber-producers are Totara and Kauri. 
There are half a dozen Kauri rickers showing good clean growth, and 
averaging over 1 ft. diameter and 50 ft. high. 
