FARMING AND AFFORESTATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 July 1924, Page 3

FARMING AND AFFORESTATION.

TARANAKI TRI-K r-L.'..N"i£KS AND . ..//THE STATE. .

?• ?&uiaki• nlorc than any other portion “Oh ‘the. Dominion /is now - .. feeling ; /the' /hardships of a-timher .famiuei Cauter,pujty is a; possible companion in distress /ill tlii/s respect, • but. Canterbury never .forests, -p:hjle. Taraas ns / well/known; ‘ covered «bt: so .many years ago;.with iirst-qhal- - ity timber bush.- > -At the present time' /- over 20; per cent of. Taranaki’s. 4V®fS/hiish-chid:; practically all of: ihis uS,//howCVer, ypurqly. /protection ■ forest CssentiaFfor the purpose of preyehting laHasjips; and other Forms of erosion. dUNpfiqfcff does, or can regret that Tarahave been elehjred TuVay. j; tfie-province’s licli dairying lands witness;:.the ivisdoin of/ the policy of close settlement in Taranaki. .The. ti-agedy/r is • that replanting of tiuther' trqe§.__ajd/,uot/:go';.hand in hand with subli-cleariiig, • so .that. tlie province ITonW, lioiV'-.be; self-supplying in timber 'requirements. -Freight on timbe-r from, rthe Afuiu ‘Trunk forests forms a high liercentage of. the present-day cosfi of , F 1 ?*!? 1 ' Ah Tiranakii;So, similarly .yyill : iMlgbiti /On; ‘tini/ber /from/the large -Go'venniient rilantatioiiS’ at Rotorua, when Jlmke l)§come riph for, felling. .need /for planting with trees'. Uuhadqqißite/percentage of the area, of Taranaki there is/no doubt, and/it -is .farmer who can do most to achieve this goal who will derive ■ and. who. will /saA'w /ihiwt hubhey there by, in that -in tlie iarmer’s case. the - owner reaps: in- . 1 / ffoTiey:the/ /less '■/monetary—- ’ b 6 fib fitg"a 1 most 1 from tli-etihie iv hen /the trees are established until they are ; -matureTor■ -felling.- It has been-proved /J?^g,>®AP^ r i l nent, and is now common tihctly higher‘ where dairv/cows Rave j adequate shelter, and that paddocks sheltered by trees yield more tons of root crops to the acre tlian /exposed-pad-docks. M . : i/ />,.

Thrahaki Is s£ ; jfiell|d.airying. aiul pastoral district j .-li'djdd;/ be .lodiish/ tc ; take' up 'good sqiUwith' trees, is ' thus easily exploded/ oil account of the old spare corners (and strips on; most farms which should he' •xVnd'ei- ■ shelter/ belts: / Agricuiture./and mot . two separate waterbut are as mecesksaVy th each"othei v ms are orcharcT \ydrk, ptg-hi-bedilig, /(cah-i-eairing, or the other -fawn side lines to .the main type -of farming/on- Taranaki /. farms. . .

r.TherVeiiledy . is ■; to . Like a sfcitoii- in . fcinieiVby,- beginhing Va deterinilied,: ssus-taj-ned 'and adequate , planting \vprb-" without... further delay. .(This policy shopld - hot be left to th& State whose planting programme (10,000 h'eres anijuallyVatVpresentj is Mot yet nearly sufficient; to: supply national Dominkm timber needs as d isti hgujslied- 1 ir'oin. local timber Heeds. . AYKy ■; should-."Tara*-iujki-y-farmers rely- in . the. futurdy Wh from a ..great -diStnuce and pay• .throijgh'- the nose ’an eimlhced price~-mpkt^|ji v which- Is com|)risfcd cif Jrcighi^fi^|^efe : when/tliey,:‘«a-ii -fplant . t trees, pidfit-rbut of Ijjhern .their timber'at ¥ reason bttle price. France; froni rjdiicli . w|?. can learn valuable. lessons; irt ddoii^niV,Alias'. 18.7: r per;'cent r bf' her -areaV under''fpiest. pfactically the portion ius Ne't Zealand}- but the - the re o wns: on ly 2.3 per Tent :{ \nHew Zealand , the . figure is lo per cent;, butJess than half of-vthis is directly .duqtive.)'' Tlip. remaining 16.4 .peri’.cent : ts ; owned by local bodies and pt Ivate imlividua.l.s. who have one uniifeV of ;-their,;;-fQrest.' area managed ' fey t\i© (French .forest .service. j' ;And lies the value of tlie : St ate T’dres t Se f v ice in ?vew ..Zealand, and mdip particularly in Taranaki, wliich of all in iS r ew Zepland. (Canterbuiytexcepted) shcHud ; grow - Tier timber-Teqiui(rements locally.— Ayr, removedf'shfategically. as she- i?. from ...the. present - and future Verge sduiVds. of supply. In :Taranaki. : hiore half the:., occupied' land is freehold., . and there- a'r& ' 80,000 Wiss, of v.inm-V-proved occupied T;ind.;.(74,/>OO : .,-o«es, of b^eiii.i..-.-s.cVub:; .and, sdcoiid grd\yt'.q and

The State Forest Service has statutory authority to assist private and cooperative and municipal planters by providing seed, plants' and expert advice as to the initial formation and the subsequent -management of plantations. This public service has in the last year or two been taken avail of by the public to a remarkable degree, and now forms as important a branch of State activity as- do' the many activities of the Department of Agriculture. The State Forest Service has..' every facility for turning out.top-quality and yetlow-priccd seeds and planting stock, owing to the size of its nursery and planting operations, and the 20 years’ New Zealand experience of some "of its officers- Seeds for direct sowing of “waste’’ lauds, and plants for the establishment of plantations are supplied at just.oyer cost-price, and tho public are not only assumed of the best obtainable, .but cau have the persona! advice of practical tree-planting officers as well. Farmers near the * coast can obtain from the State Forest Service, which advises on fixing and planting'-'.'.of' sand dunes, which can. under proper management, be .'turned into productive soil after a few years.