AFFORESTATION PROPOSAL.

Southland Times, Issue 22489, 25 January 1935, Page 9

AFFORESTATION PROPOSAL.

To the Editor.

Sir, —In your issue of January 21, “Taxpayer” takes me to task over remarks made by me at the Wallace County meeting regarding the suggested afforestation scheme for filling up this waste country between Nightcaps and Ohai, and twits me as a would-be waster of public money, for having the audacity to criticize the reports of Mr Dolamore, the Forestry conservator, to the effect that no net-ting-off would be required. For many types of trees I do admit it is necessary, but in this case, there is not a fraction of the rabbits there used to be, and they could be thoroughly put down and kept down at no great expense, and as for fire risks this country lies with a peculiar situation, and has never been subject to sweeping fires, only patches of fire from gully to gully. Further, our climate is less conducive to fire risk by at least 100 per cent, compared with many of our northern schemes. It is to be regretted the area is not more extensive, but •with the scheme once started, similar country adjoining might find it more conducive, to join in than remain in idle waste. No scheme could be more useful for absorbing our local unemployed—local occupation on piecework rates. Netting depends on the trees grown, and on the keeping down of rabbits, hares and deer, which can quite well be done. At our county meeting I was urging the growing of trees that are spreading on some of our pastoral country by birds or self propagation—and without netting. In the Twinlaw country, Mr George Edie says, larch is spreading and there is not a larch plantation near. Seeds are either blown there or deposited by birds. At the old Linton homestead some old types of gums gannii and Macarturi put in 70 years ago or more are to be seen, and lying on the ground are pieces of thin timber that have at least been lying there sound for 25 years, while on a manuka covered hard clayspur adjoining, where westerly winds have drifted their seeds, a place that has been swept by fire and rabbits is to be seen a rising plantation that threatens to rival the parent trees. The only damage I see being done is by these vermin—deer. Here in this case fire only freshens them and rabbits have never touched them, which shows that'larch and gums, useful and valuable timber, can be grown without any great care or cost. I am, etc.,

W. J. A. McGREGOR Mount Linton, January 22, 1935.