NURSERIES AND FORESTS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12039, 17 January 1925, Page 4

NURSERIES AND FORESTS

. It is impossible to overrate the - advantage the nurserymen are ,to the Do- ‘ minion; .It is equally impassible to overrate the advantage to the Dominion of the Forestry Department. It is even more impossible to overrate the advantage to the Dominion of an Unbroken cordiality of united work of these two/great factors of the Dominion’s progress. Therefore, the'signs .shown in the meeting of the nurserymen of -a misunderstanding between them are, deplorable; We are-sure .that .the- friction thereby evinced was only caused by a misunderstanding.. It! is a misunderstanding of limited scope, for in the wide region covered by the floral and kitchen garden work of the country the nurserymen are, so far as the Forestry Department is concerned, supreme. They have the easy task of squaring things with the market gardeners,' but any clash between them and the forestry' people is impossible.; > In arboriculture, the-department has, in so • far as it touphes the State forests, no rivalry from the nurserymen, for the strength of their 6ystpm of afforestation lies in the natural development Of -forests in the forest areas. The, department has fallen heir to some fine plantations of exotic- trees, and has to yjake provision for planting out. Here- the- idea of rivalry enters. But there is no need of rivalry, for in the area of required arboriculture there ,is ample room for the department and the nurserymen to work together, Let them join heart and soul in the propaganda for the encouragement of afforestation, and they will find that it will take all the time of both of them to «upp]y the demand for young trees, which is one of the roads to the future safety of this self-support-ing Dominion;