1 Ave., 1901.) QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL 239 
Forestry. 
WILL FOREST CULTURE PAY IN QUEENSLAND ? 
In our notes on Forest Conservancy, Part 3 (Vol. IT., p. 154), we mentioned 
the case of a natural growth of young blue gums (Hwealyptus tereticornis) 
springing from seed which had been scattered over the ground by the felling of 
several large trees in seed. The young saplings grew up straight as arrows, 
and the grove only required thinning out at proper times to have established a 
splendid stand of timber for the future. 
As this occurred in the year 1864, it will be understood that had these 
trees been allowed to grow to the present day they would have been nearly 
thirty-seven years’ old, and by judicious cutting and replanting we should have 
now possessed a crop from which a good annual income would have resulted. 
A. correspondent, Mr. J. T. Pentzcke, of the Daintree, writes of a similar 
experience. He commences by putting the question—‘ Will forest culture pay 
the farmer?” ‘This would depend greatly on the system of forestry adopted, 
and also to a large extent on the concessions in the way of long leases made by 
the State Government to men who would honestly undertake to take the matter 
up and carry it out in such a manner as to make the work a revenue-producing 
one for future generations. 
Before the scrub lands on the Daintree were open for selection, the pioneer 
cedar-getters had already sent many shiploads of valuable cedar to the South. 
The only site for a sawmill was a low-lying, ti-tree, and mangrove swamp. The 
hardy pioneers had only a small piece of camping ground, where they suffered 
much from fever and ague. Mr. Pentzeke took up some land in the scrub 
adjoining Mr. Freshney’s selection, and cleared about 4 acres, leaving two cedar 
trees standing in the clearing, and carefully protecting them from fire when 
burning off. When the crops of maize, bananas, sweet potatoes, &ec., were well 
grown in October and November, the winged seed of those cedars began to 
scatter broadcast over the land, and lay thickly about on the pumpkin leaves. 
These germinated under the shelter of the crops, and, after the wet season was 
nearly over, he destroyed more than a thousand young cedar plants in clearing 
up the ground, besides a quantity of undergrowth, which is needed by the 
young trees to enable them to grow tall and slender whilst making 
their “height growth,” a most important period for the silviculturist. ‘The 
plants, being thus sheltered, do not become bushy, but draw up till they top the 
scrub and then commence to make lateral growth and spreading tops. Had he 
left the cedar and undergrowth alone, these would to-day have been a nice 
patch of tall valuable timber which in fifteen years’ time from now would have 
been fit to harvest, as he has observed that the cedar on the Daintree increases 
by 3 inches in girth per annum. There are, besides cedar, many other valuable 
timbers in the scrubs, and others might be planted. Some of the native timbers 
there are of exquisite beauty and of great commercial value, but as 
yet they are only known by botanists. They require to be sent to a 
market where their value would be thoroughly understood. When this 
so devoutly to be wished consummation is attained, the foresters would 
go systematically to work, taking the forest on the face and felling all mature 
trees, get rid of weakly, useless trees, save all plants of useful kinds, and plant 
bare spaces with better varieties. Thus, at the outset, a rich harvest 
would be gathered without planting ; but felling without replanting is contrary 
to the rules of good forestry. “Therefore,” says Mr. Pentzcke, “we must 
replant in order to leave a harvest for those who come after us, for we shall not 
reap the benefit of what we have planted.” In writing of the Diseases in Plant 
Q 
