TREE PLANTING IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 March 1928, Page 8

TREE PLANTING IN TARANAKI.

Speaking at Normanby on Wednesday last the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. O. J. Hawken) was very emphatic in his advocacy of more tree-growing bj? farmers. “In South Taranaki,” h© said, “we should plant far more trees than we do at present, North Taranaki is doing a wonderful work in this direction. The Forestry Department tells me that in Taranaki more trees are planted every year than in any other similar district in New Zealand.” So far as it goes, it is satisfactory to know that farmers h Taranaki are recognising the value of tree planting. As the Minister pointed out, there is still room for a .great deal more work in this direction. There are few farms in the province in which there are no gullies or broken country that are difficult to keep free of weeds and to make profitable use of. It is here that tree planting can be of the utmost benefit. If these areas are planted in quick growing trees such as the wattle, eucalyptus and pines, not only will weeds be kept down, but within a surprisingly short period of time the farmer will find he can grow all the posts and firewood he requires for hie own use. Then there is the question of shelter, upon which Mr. Hawken laid such stress. Any practical dairyman knows from experience how the output of a herd even in the flush of the Beason can be reduced by cold raw weather if the oows have no suitable shelter, and there are few who cannot trace the loss of valuable live stock to exposure that adequate shelter would have avoided. Trees such as the pinus insignia are admirable for shelter plantations, and need comparatively little attention after the first two seasons of growth. Experts agree that in Taranaki the soil and climatic conditions are Ideal for tree growing. In other countries, Australia for instance, there are droughts to contend with and other conditions which retard growth. In Taranaki it has been proved again and again that the rate of growth is twice that in less fortunate localities, and that the quality of the timber is equal to if not better than the more slowly grown product. From every point of view there is everything to gain by an extension of tree planting throughout the province, and it is to be hoped that the Minister’s advice will lead to this.