TUNG OIL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 22 December 1938, Page 4

TUNG OIL

STATE OF PLANTATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND POSITION ANALYSED THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF DEAD AND DYING TREES An official /nvestigaiion into the state of tung oil plantations in New Zealand discloses 55 acres of apparently satisfactory trees, 733 acres of unsatisfactory trees, and 3700 acres of worthless, dead a.nd dying trees. This information is given in the December issue of the “Journal of Agriculture,” which states that the inquiry was undertaken as a result of conflicting claims concerning the growth of the trees. During the past eight years, the j journal states, 10 companies have at- - tempted to grow tung oil trees on the plantation scale in various parts of the North Auckland Peninsula. As nothing was really then known regarding the possibility of growing! tung in New Zealand, the undertaking ' was undoubtedly one of speculative j character. Because of the conflicting l nature of the claims made concerning - the growth of the trees, investigations 1 have been undertaken by the Depart- 1 ments of Agriculture and Scientific and j Industrial Research. The position re- ■ vealed is approximately as follows: (1) Parcngarenga Tung Oil, Te Paki; Australian Plantations, Ltd., Rangi- ; puta; Northern Tung Oil Co., Lake Ohia. These plantations were a complete failure, and the controlling companies I have ceased to operate. (2) Parapara Development Co., Para- j para. There are about 10 acres of appar- i ently satisfactory trees with an additional small area of very unsatisfactory and worthless trees. (3) Tung Oil Securities, Matauri Bay. Acres. Trees apparently satisfactory 0 Trees unsatisfactory 26 Trees very unsatisfactory 0 1 Trees dead and dying 314 (4) Empire Tung Oil, Waitangi. No map has been made of this property, but the whole of the area planted has been inspected, and the position is approximately 40 acres to 50 acres of unsatisfactory and very unsatisfactory trees, with a similar area of dead and dying trees.

(5) N.Z. Tung Oil Corporation, associated with N.Z. Tung Oil, Ltd., and Kaikohe Tung Groves, Ltd. (a) In Kaukakapa most of the trees are dead, and the company has ceased operating here and transferred activities to Awarua. (b) In Waipapa many trees are removed. The remainder are practically all dead. The company has ceased operating here, and has transferred operations to Awarua. (c) Awarua: Block 1. Acres. Trees apparently satisfactory 15 Trees unsatisfactory 244 Trees very unsatisfactory 106 Trees dead and dying 404 Block 2. Acres. Trees apparently satisfactory 8 Trees unsatisfactory 192 Trees very unsatisfactory 190 Trees dead and dying 390 Block 3 Acres. Trees apparently satisfactory 14 Trees unsatisfactory 149 Trees very unsatisfactory 60 Trees dead and dying 401 These three blocks comprise the largest plantation in New Zealand, and a summary of the position to-day shows:— Acres. Apparently satisfactory trees 37 Unsatisfactory trees 585 Worthless dead and dying trees 1551 (6) Tung Oil Plantations, Ltd., MamaAcres. Trees apparently satisfactory 0 Trees unsatisfactory 52 Trees very unsatisfactory 11 Trees dead and dying 266 (7) Tung Acres, Te Arai. The whole area has been inspected, but the maps prepared are not at present available. Approximately 500 acres have been planted, over which 90 pel cent of the trees are in a dead or dying condition, and the remainder are quite unsatisfactory. (8) Tung Oil Debenture Trust, Pakapuka. Acres. Trees apparently satisfactory 7 Trees unsatisfactory 20 Trees very unsatisfactory 24 Trees dead and dying 201 SUMMARY To summarise, over the whole of the | plantations the position is approxi- j matcly:— Acres. Apparently satisfactory trees 55 Unsatisfactory trees 733 I Worthless dead and dying trees 3760 I 4543 I