INTERPLANTING. 129 
INTERPLANTING. 
STANDARD trees, over either coppice or an under-forest, are commonly 
dependent for their height-growth and clean timber, on the height and 
density of the supporting forest. Kauri and, to a less extent, the other 
large timber-trees of the New Zealand forest have the power, like many 
Kucalypts, &e., of growing with self-cleaning stems. On this point the 
paragraph at page 27 should be re-read. Interplanting is the form 
of planting that offers the best chance of success with Kauri and 
other native trees. Planting in the bush is not planting in the 
open. Mr. Matthews stated that he had tried planting in the 
bush and failed. He weeded and cleaned as one weeds and cleans in 
the open, at much cost, and with the result that the weeds only grew the 
faster. In planting in the bush, weeding and cleaning have to be ‘replaced 
by cutting with a sickle and mulching; and where there is such a 
troublesome growth as fern in the north the mulching must be heavy. 
Against drought in South Africa I have mulched up to 14 ft. thick. 
The good point about mulching is that the heavier the ground herbage 
and weeds, the easier it is to mulch and prevent regrowth. As mentioned 
later, with New Zealand labour rates the planting-disc may be more 
economical than mulching. 
Where the foresters’ regeneration cuttings, aided by the simple and 
inexpensive methods detailed above, do finally fail, regular planting 
from forest nurseries has to be resorted to. Much less frequently seed- 
ing, possibly only with a high-grade Black-wattle, may be practicable. 
Says Sir W. Schlich, reviewing natural regeneration in central Europe, 
‘‘ Natural regeneration is rarely so complete that it does not require 
artificial help, which can be afforded by sowing or planting, generally 
the latter.’’ (‘‘ Manual,’’ vol. 3, p. 282.) In the Kauri forests the 
planting would be Kauri, and, failing that, Totara, Puriri, and the 
introduced trees (p. 135). . 
In the mixed forest, where, on account of altitude or other reason, 
Kauri would not grow well, Totara, Rimu, Celery-top, White-pime, and 
perhaps also some other native trees would be planted. But what is 
particularly wanted outside the Kauri forest are the quick-growing self- 
spreading exotic trees mentioned below. In the ‘‘ mixed”’ forest of 
the north interplanting will be even more necessary than in the Kauri 
forest, for some of the ‘‘ mixed ’’ forest is no better than Indian Teak 
forest, with only two or three good trees to the acre to depend on for 
natural regeneration. Where it will pay to work a forest intensively, 
interplanting offers the readiest means of improving the forest in the 
shortest time. 
The planting would be in patches, or larger areas, just wherever it 
was required to supplement natural regeneration. Where the forest was 
‘« dirty,’’ and thus difficult to plant, probably strips of selected? quick- 
growing and self-spreading, exotics would be put in. Details would have 
to be settled by the ‘‘ working-plans ”’ officer, after careful study on the 
spot: the ‘‘ working-plan ’’ would be at first provisional, and for limited 
areas, till more experience had been gained. 
5—Forestry. 
