Tree Planting.

Opunake Times, Volume I, Issue 4, 17 July 1894, Page 3

Tree Planting.

Nearly every one who visits the district is struck by the almost total absence of plantations round town and country residences, and p.lso the absence of trees for the purpose of sheltering stock. Settlers have not fully taken into consideration the immense advantage which a belt of trees is as a shelter for stock, fruit trees, or garden. Because some have planted, and the trees proved a failure, others will not run the risk, but such a course we do not consider wise. Trees are to be obtained at a very small cost, and we believe no more profitable improvement can be put on a farm, as the improved valued in stock, owing to the shelter, would repay the cost of the trees many times over. The plans adopted iu Manaia of planting a number of rows seems to be successful, and we believe it would prove so here. There are several kinds of hedge plants which will withstand our blizzards, and if these were put down as shelter during the early years of the trees we believe shelter could be successfully raised. There is one thing that those proposing to plant should study, and that is, the best place to obtain the young trees. To bring a young tree from a warm nursery, where it _ has always been sheltered, and place it in the open here with any expectation of of its growing, is, we think, asking a little too much of the tree. We believe that care should be taken to try and get trees out of a nursery which is subject to the same weather and winds that prevail at the place where it is intended to transplant them, and then trees being acclimatised have a much greater show of successful growth. The trees planted hi the township of Manaia are from Mr Smith's nursery there, and they are quite a pleasure to view, apart from the shelter they provide for the town.