THE CULTIVATION OF FORESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1889, 11 October 1880, Page 2

THE CULTIVATION OF FORESTS.

(Land and Water.) The cultivation of forest trees is beginning to attract the attention of the farmers on the Pacific coast. They are being led to understand that there are profits to bo derived from the cultivation of good forest trees, m the effect exercised on the climate lessening the probabilities of drought and decreasing the expenses of irrigation. This has also been the subject of much attention m the Eastern States, particularly m the more heavily-populated onei, where lands once covered with fine trees had been literally laid bare. On taking up a farm the first thought and act of the farmer was to cnt down every tree growing on it ; and he never seemed quite happy until the last one had fallen. In travelling through Canada I observed that the same erroneous idea prevailed, but possibly to a less extent. The governing idea m the mind of the farmer was, no doubt, to make every square inch of his land productive. The results of late years havo proved to them how great was the mistake they made, one that has told very materially against the profits of the farm. They now see that this " clearing away " has also pretty well " cleared " away the climate, m reducing the number of rainy days and having a bad effect on the crops. A writer on the subject very correctly aayi : " Every foreign scientific man who comes to this country is impressed with the groat waste of forest. Accustomed as Europeans are to the oulture of woodland, the reckless methods of American farmers strike them with astonishment. The trouble has been that the boundless forests of the North-west promised to endure for ever, and there seemed no incentive to any care of the original growth of timber. Now a more sensible idea begins to prevail. It is seen that east of the Appalachian range the forest has almost disappeared, while m many parts of the west tho wholesale waste of timber carried on for years has had a sensible effect upon tho face of the country. In the Southern States the system of exhausting land with cotton and tobacco, and then throwing it into old fields, has resulted m a thick growth of worthless pine on the abandoned lands. To a tourist these fields at a short distance have the look of a good pine forest, bat one who has had any experienoe m Southern agriculture knows their utter worthlessness. The fine old forests of the South have been more shamefully ill-used than those of the North ; the negro has so little regard for trees that he never fails to cat down the young saplings because they yield firewood with less trouble than any other tree*."

In the State of New York, where this error of a total clearing away was first observed, the replanting of forest trees has been attended with very good results. In one belt of country where replanting was general, th« rainfall has largely increased, *nd the rain is more evenly distributed throughout the season than m a neighboring district almost completely denuded of timber. On the prairies of Kansas and Nebraska, where a good natural growth of wood is lacking, the result* obtained from the planting of forest trees were even more strikingly illustrated. The planted forest serves as a good windbreak, and the influence of the wood's growth was saen m lessened periods of drought and an increase m crops. What is demanded, however, is accurate information about the varieties of trees adapted to particular Boils and localities, and to provide this the Government has set apart an appropriation, and placed m charge of the work Charles Sargent, professor of arboriculture m Harvard College. Among the peculiar trees of Oregon is one known as the Port Orford cedar. It is used for building and other purposes ; also m making buckets, tubs, and such like. The trees when tapped emit a liquid corresponding to turpentine, but which possesses the odor and flavor of the cedar wood, and is called oil of cedar. Fresh water put m & new bucket made of this wood will m a, few minutes become so tainted as to be unfit to drink. From the captain of a merchant vessel who has brought down several cargoes of this wood I learned that fish placed m tubs made from it and filled with water would die m a very short time. From experiments made by him he fonnd that crabs placed m one of these tubs filled with salt water died m two hours. Smelts only lived 20 minutes. A tree that has been found to do well m the State of California is the eucalyptus, or bluegutn tree, so well known m Australia. The rapidity of its growth is something remarkable, and for this reason many persons m the vicinity of San Francisco are cultivating them for the sole purpose of firewood. The scarcity of large trees m the immediate neighborhood will always make wood for fuel valuable. The cultivation of the almond tree has also been attended with success. In the country near San Jose there are about 350 acres planted this year m almond trees. The growers claim that it is the best-paying industry m that part of the country, the profits derived being larger than are obtained from any other enterprise.