New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4885, 17 November 1876, Page 2

New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17.

There is a subj ectto. which great attend j tion -ia i noiv- beirig; paid,•< and which ' has i attained an : importance jt aihce : 'the 1 beginning’ of > a B( !never dreifnt. ; *We refer’to theipreservation 1 of i foi , e^. J the’planting (of both for (purposes,' of utility and ornamentation. ITh'iaetller-and.ihe..wQodman,.both,in..,tbe ! colonies'.’ind> ihlthe Uew)Wf)rld,l ’ continual warfare with-the stately denizens ’of the fdrestVi' So r ' yearn thU face of'' nature' iSi 'chailged]' arid 1 too frequently 1 the ‘ climate • -BlSd. The mighty Jreea which-haya.Jwill^fcqoOho-iblasteTor centuries ; falLbetqtp the axe of the a home;.j jjik,thof "This is no 1 dofthfeW/H Should bo'.'’ The land must be cleared, and the earth compelled to yield

her treasures to the hardy settler. The agriculturalist, too, of thoOld’Viforld haspreferred to see fields of waving .corn to “ hedgerow elms and forests green- , . Iu former times the destruction ot, the forests in Europe was carried on to a far greater extent than the necessities of the case demanded... .We,, refer, to,. Ireland, where the land has been completely denuded of itstimber, this forests being cut down to make' charcoal for the smelting .of iron. Spain again haa suffered from a similar cause, and to such an extent as completely to change the climate of some parts of its coastline. For it is a notorious fact that the climate of the Spanish coast, which was formerly humid and warm, has been rendered dry and cold by the removal of the forests. Had the people of these|countries been wise in their generation, and planted trees in the placeof those they removed, the evils which subsequently resulted from this course might have been averted.- Other instances might be cited in support of what we say, but these will suffice. Would it not be well for the people of • these colonies to learn a lesson from these experiences, and, if our native forests must be removed for the purposes of agriculture, , let every available spot; unsuitable for other poses, be planted with trees ? It is an established fact that a splendid climate may be seriously modified by the destruction of its foliage. To put the case more clearly before our readers, let us consider for a moment the uses’ of trees in the economy of nature. One of these, which certainly deserves to be mentioned; is the beauty they impart to ,the landscape. They break the dull monotony of the plain, and heighten - the” grandeur of the mountain scenery. .But of more importance is their influence,in a climatic point of view. Trees exorcise a great influence in the annual rainfall.; Remove the forests from a country, and there is at once a considerable diminution in the amount. Cold winds have free acess to the exposed fields, and vegetation suffers in a proportionate degree. Every farmer worthy of the name knows well the value of a belt of trees to protect his fields from the prevailing winds, and of a bush run, however small, to shelter his flocks and herds. For many years past the Khedive of Egypt has, with : praiseworthy zeal, attended to the planting of.forests, and the result has been that of late years there has been a considerable inprease in the rainfall in that almost .rainless country. In a sanitary point of view, the influence of trees cannot be over-estimated, and. it is to this we wish to draw more particular attention at the present time. Every one ' possessed of the slightest scientific knowledge knows .that those gases in the atmosphere which are essential to- the life of plants, would, if present in sufficient qualities, be fatal to animal life. What is life to one order of existences is death to the other. The poisonous malaria which arises from decaying animal and ■ vegetable substances/ and from the filthy effluvia of badly drained towns, which are carried about by the atmosphere, to engender feversjmd other, maladies, > which decimate . our populations, are to a large extent absorbed by trees. These gasses are always given off, even in. the best regulated towns. How important then it is that great attention should be paid by private individuals and'public bodies to see tp it that every available spot should have, its tree; that spaces should be set apart in all centres of population, to be formed into parks and plantations, which would answer the double’ purpose of places of recreation for the citizens, and of purifying the atmosphere. ‘ One need only take a walk through/the lower levels of this city to'see how’ much this important matter has been neglected:,Our Cemeteries too,are destitute, of trees capable of: absorbing the miasma arising from them. True, nature,,has thickly studded them with- a native shrub/ but,-- from its-slow-growth. and scanty foliage, its absorbent powers are unequal to the task. Here we may offer a remark or two respecting the relative absorbent powers of ' trees. Those trees which are of a rapid growth and dense foliage are the best. Those of slow growth are the least useful in this respect, and the willow, from its scanty foliage, should never be planted for this purpose. Deciduous trees are, foran obvious reason, inferior to evergreens. _ But for absorbent properties the varieties of the eucalypti stand out most conspicuous. Of these the, common blue gum is the leadin" variety. It is now some years since the value of these trees as a ’powerful .febrifuge was discovered. Their efficacy in dispelling local fevers has been, placed beyond a doubt on the gold coast of Africa ;and elsewhere. Agents were sent to ■Australia for the purpose.of collecting seeds, and immense quantities were sent to different parts of the world : to Rome, for planting around the Pontine marches; the United States, Egypt, and other places. Here then we have a tree which has already been acclimatised among us, and which, for the purpose Indicated, and alsoifor,the.excellence of its timber, cannot, be surpassed. His Worship the Mayor of this city deserves: the lasting gratitude : of the citizens of Wellington for his consistent and enlightened, advocacy of arboriculture within the city.' Before'con-' eluding we may mention a matter in connection with this subject. We mean the question of reserves planted-with trees and ornamental shrubs. There should be at least three in this city—-one at Te Aro, one on,the newly-reclaimed land, and one in a more central position, if such a piece of land could be obtained. In the two first-mentioned parts of the town there can be no real difficulty in the way. The question of the value of the land ought (not to stand in the way, when thebealth, /comfort, and convenience of the citizens : (are concerned. Wellington is almost the only important'city in the Southern Hemisphere- without' some ’-such places "of public resort. ; We strongly feconimbnd these suggestions; to our civic'rulers, and', trust that before long some movement will be made ; to secure for the city some : jof those advantages ivhich more highly favored’communities already- enjoy. ;