AFFORESTATION PROBLEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 7

AFFORESTATION PROBLEMS.

OTTE DEBT TO THE PIONEERS. By Old New Zealander. Although a young country, New Zealand already owes a great debt to the early pioneers for the way in which they attacked the every day problems, and established a virile Anglo-Saxon civilisation in the waste places, and for their foresight and the consideration they gave, not only to supplying their immediate needs, and not only to, but also for the valuable experimental work which they accomplished in many directions. If properly chronicled new, ere it is too late, chronicled while the second generation is still with us to give the necessary information as to th* conditions under which the experimental work which has already reached fruition was started, this work will be of untold monetary value to the men who are fol lowing in the steps of the pioneers, and upon whom the duty of building wisely for the future is laid. Few of us can as jet rightly place a value on the experimental work which has been accomplished, in almost all line* of enterprise. Probably, however, that which has been done in connection with the exotic plant life of the Dominion is that which will in the end exert the greatest influence. Quite recently, our attention has been drawn to the splendid work done for the future by several of the early settlers in reference to the introduction of fruits and of timber trees. Take the apricot trade of the Central and Roxburgh. The success of to-day is largely built on the experimental plantings of the old miners. It was they who proved of what the soil and climate were capable. Some of the present trees are over 50 years old, and are still healthy and vigorous. What is lacking, however in many cases it that little connecting link between the trees which are, and the early history of those trees, such as. “Where did the trees come from? On what stocks were they worked? And, not the least important, What of the trees which failed —which did not make good? What varieties were they? What stocks were they worked on? What were the apparent reasons for the failures? Remember that there is as much to be learned from the records of failures as from those of successes. Yet, while the latter arc likely to be kept in everlasting remembrance, the others, with all they imply, are often lost, and it is left for the next generation to go over exactly the same series of experiments and experiences as did the pioneers. This shoulr not be. Here is where it is clearly the duty of some society, or of the State itself, to collect the data, and store it for handy reference. Day by day the urgent need for the collection of information on all sorts of subjects, and the storing up of records for the future, becomes the more apparent. In many lines it is already too late to get the full details of the experiences of the first generation, and the second generation is fast drawing to the end of its life. Many, while still with us, are already too frail to remember with distinctness some of the items which are needed to place the work they have accomplished in the right perspective. The longer the rotation of the crop the greater the need for the collection and preservation of the records available so that no mistakes may be made, and the information gained be .sed to the best advantage. This applies in a special sense to the knowledge gained in the matter of exotic forestation. The timber crop is one of the longes to mature of any crop that is planted as a crop by man. The need for a full record of all the information that we can get is demonstrated by (he passing of our indigenous forests and by the fact that within a reasonable time those remaining will be all cut out and that our own native trees are uot of sufficiently rapid growth ,o replace the wastage. It is just here that the experience of the early pioneers is of suih moment to the present generation. The whole range of species, varieties, suitable soils, distances to plant for the best results, under the different soils and other conditions, needs consideration and the applied knowledge that alone comes from experience, and experiment under local conditions should be carefully recorded. Mr Andrew Gray Cleraant, of Tuturau, near Mataura, is one of the old pioneers w hose work is of inestimable value to the men engaged at the present time in afforestation in South Otago and Southland. Recently the writer had the privilege of visiting the old gentleman and his

good wife, and discussing with him the history of some of the forest giants he possesses. Born in Scotland over 80 years ago at Strathern, in Perthshire, he early developed a love for horticulture, and was bound apprentice at Kew Gardens. It is interesting to note at this period that the free for apprenticeship was then £5, and the wages started at 9s per week and ended at 11s per week, and the apprentice had to board himself out of that amount, The knowledge gained, however, stood him in good stead. After a period spent in Glasgow, young Clemant, with his parents, sailed for the Bluff, where they landed and settled. Mr Clement engaging himself as gardener to Air E. B. Cargill. He soon took a great interest in native plants, and, with the consent of his employer, he became a collector and shipper of plants, ferns, etc., in exchange for exotics. It was thus that the heaths from which Mr H. M. West obtained his stocks were introduced, and there were numerous other introductions made between 1867 and 1873. Jn 1874 Mr Clemant went up to Tuturau, and there, with his imported seeds and plants started a nursery garden from which many of the older trees still growing in Southland near the Mataura River were obtained. Mr Clemant was not only a gardener and a nurseryman by training, but he was a forester of no mean order. Forest tree seeds were obtained from England, from the Continent of Europe, and from America. These were grown and many sold, while a representative block of exotic timber trees was planted out about 50 years ago. These trees stand to-day as a monument to Mr Clemant’s vision, and as a guide to those who are interested in the great afforestation problems of the present. These trees are of the greatest importance, coupled with the information (in the fullest detail) which Mr Clemant is ready and willing to give Needless to say that there have been many failures in some varieties, and the 50 years’ test has shown other trees to be too slow in growth, or otherwise unsuitable for the soil and conditions under which they are placed. On the other hand there have been some signal successes, which blazed the road, and make the pathway for the coming generation easier. It is of the greatest importance that the information and experience of men such as Mr Clemant should be recorded now, and steps taken to preserve the data as a guide to forest tree culture for the future. Unless such steps are taken at once, not only will the detailed knowledge associated with the planting and development of these trees be lost, but there is always a danger that the trees themselves may be converted into lumber, and the value of the tests lost for all time. It is not proposed at present to refer to the varieties tested out that have been failures. The most important matter is that of securing data of those trees which, after half a century’s growth are manifestly the varieties which, under similar conditions of soil and climate, may be planted with certainty. First and foremost comes our old and trusted friend, the pine (Radiata). Trees are in evidence well over 100 feet high, and some 12ft in circumference at breast high, with fine clean barrels, which a miller friend with us stated contained upwards of 4000 ft of millable timber. The Douglass fir, the well known Oregon pine, has been a great success. There are several splendid specimens of it, with straight and clean barrels, and a good amount of milling timber. The Menzicsii spruce was also giving a good account of itself, and was making fairsized trees until the growth was stopped by the aphis. Here again is work for the entemologist. The Cupressus family has done remarkably well, the maerocarpas being ahead of all the others. There are specimens up to GO or 70ft in length of clean trunks, and up to sft in diameter, while those who may doubt the lasting nature of the timber can see posts cut 25 years ago still sound. Other Cupressus trees which have made good as timber trees are Lawsoniaim and Torolosa, but these are not nearly up to the macrocarpa for bulk. In cedars there arc some good specimens of both the Deodora and Atlantica, but of the present timber value I leave others to speak. Perhaps the most interesting examples to be seen at Mr Clemants's are the beautiful specimens of the Wellingtonia Gigantica and of the Sequoia Sempcrvirons (redwoods). Several trcA. of the former were measured, all of which averaged at breast-high over 20ft in circumference. The bowls wore well formed, and they were 60ft to 80ft of milling

timber in length. In a word, I have never seen better Wellingtonias in any part of the Dominion. The Sequoias, too, were good, and the timber looked as if it would mill well. Except in Waikato, no better trees are to be found in New Zealand. It is considered that the dry soil and good drainage, coupled with the protection from the macrocarpas, gums, and pines, have contributed to produce the splendid results that are visible. Other trees for timber which have done fairly are poplars, robinias, Thugia Gigantea, and a few eucalypts (of sorts). The time spent at Mr Clemants’s was full of interest to the last minute, our only regret being that the stay could not have been prolonged. It is only to be hoped that the matter of collecting and saving the experiences of the old pioneers, and _ using them in the interests of the rising generation, and thus avoiding some of the pitfalls they naturally fell into, will be taken in hand energetically while there is time. One of the matters on which areas like that owned by Mr Clemants are very illuminating is that of the correct distance at which forest trees should be planted. brom the examples to be seen here and in other plantations the spacing should not be less than 12ft. At this distance good, clean, milling timber has resulted. Where the distance is less, the trees are small and of poor quality from the miller s point of view, while the piantity of timber available for the mill is very small compared with that where the trees were further apart. This question of the distance affects the cost of planting, the value of trees needed per acre, and (the iorest experts say) also the quantity of nullable timber available at a given age. All this shows the demand that exists tor using to the full the experiments of tne fathers, so that the coming generation ma/ reap where they have sown.