NEW ZEALAND OPINION ON NATURAL REGENERATION, 127 
Land Commissioner G, H, Bullard says natural regeneration in native 
forests is so good that if cattle and sheep are let in and afterwards 
excluded the young forest comes up again freely. He cites two recent 
cases at Taranaki. 
Good Intenttons.—There was an official wish at one time to utilize 
the natural reproduction of Kauri, and the writer of the chapter ‘* Forests 
and Profligacy *”’ in ‘‘ New Zealand in Evolution,’”’ presuming the wish 
had materialized, wrote in 1909,— 
In view of the probable extinction of the Kauri forest within the next few 
years, the State Department has made a useful provision for the future by setting 
aside, and protecting against the depredations of fire and stock, areas of recently 
cut-out and abandoned forest. Young saplings spring up in abundance on the 
sites of old Kauri bush wherever natural enemies are remoyed. The State has 
taken over some of these areas as nurseries, and by clearing the dead undergrowth 
and keeping the undesired varieties of shrubs in check it is hoped in time to make 
a sound start in the reproduction of the Kauri forests which have been of such 
immense value to the State. 
No one now knows anything about these good intentions. They were 
not carried out, and have passed out of memory. 
On the West Coast——Mr. W. L, Luxford, of Hamilton, an ex- 
perienced sawmiller, described to me a case of natural regenera- 
tion of Rimu on the West Coast, where, on account of the wetness of 
the climate, it is difficult to destroy the forest by burning. Near Grey- 
mouth he was taken to see a fine young Rimu bush, estimated as running 
to almost 30,000 sup. ft. to the acre, with trees 1 ft. to 2 ft. in diameter 
and 40 ft. to the first branches. He noticed old cut stumps, and was told 
that fifty years ago the bush had been completely cut out, hardly a stick 
worth mentiouing being left. The regrowth timber was straight, useful 
stuff, but soft and immature. It was milled at a profit for light boarding 
and case timber. 
In 1916 Mr. James Bell, a West Coast miller, wrote to me thus regard- 
ing the natural regrowth of natiye timber: ‘‘ When I bought the land 
a mill had cut out all the timber that was suitable or large enough for 
milling, and although I had not seen the forest previous to that I could 
judge by the stumps what it had been like. I don’t think they had cut 
any trees less than 2 ft. in diameter, and there were a lot of trees then 
left standing from 18 in. to 2ft. When I milled it the second time I 
got quite a lot of trees ranging from 241in. to 50in. diameter. I would 
not expect to see such rapid growth of native timber in a dry climate, 
but in the moist climate on this West Coast young trees make very rapid 
growth.” 
Totara.—Mr. Perey Smith, late Surveyor-General, tells me of 
two cases where Totara came up thick when the forest was cleared. 
South of Manukau Harbour a settler cleared about 200 acres, and was 
going to grass or cultivate, but means failed. It came up a dense 
thicket of Totara. A second case known to Mr. Perey Smith was at 
Kamo, Whangarei—25 acres. It also came up a thick serub of Totara. 
There are many other cases of good natural regeneration of Totara. 
It is unnecessary to multiply examples. One may say generally that 
in the New Zealand forest, like the same forest elsewhere, reproduction 
is good where the conditions are fayourable, but the conditions are so 
often unfavourable that less natural regeneration is generally seen than 
in some other forests. For a good natural regeneration the forester in 
his cuttings has to aim at sufficient ight for the development of the young 
