CORRESPONDENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2813, 28 September 1883, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

whero you may plcnly of that materinl is to re seen nil over C'anlcrbury. The chnrge of ignoriir.co broiisil)'. rgiiinst tln> ffl tiers for buying certain line' of trees, &■•., &?., m not altogether riglit, because m all new countries people' do many curii>u* things to suit circumstances. Surely the experience gained m tlio Old Country is not lott when we comi> lo tlio new one. Now for the Pinus Hylveslris. I dare, say that many of yc-ur readers arc awnro that, tho Sylvestris of Hie ancient Roman noturaliet is our Pimeter, our Pinui Sylvestris boing their Pitjida. It i.i like all fpecica of tree) which have un extensive geographical range, and grows ou almost every kind of Bail, and at great elevations as well as on tho plains. Tho varietirß are very numerous, as regards their exterior oppiftranne, for 01 poor soil and very elevated situations, fully exposed to boisterous winds, it becomes a diminutive shrub, while m lower and more favorable ailuationa it becomes a l'.ift.y timber tree. Tho reason that to much of it m found growing en tho slopes of (he Scotch Highlands is not becauco it will not do well on (ho flit land, but «iir>ply because, tho available flats nro required for ngricultural purpis.-s, Mid I hive seen nice clumps of it growing m good wheat, land m Scotland. It also thrives very well m good land here, too, consequently I am of opinion that tho ciuse of tlio cliseaeo must bo learched for m another riinc'inn, independent of our soil and climnto. Therefore, 1 he first question is what is this cii'CAse ? Probably a foreign importation ; the sred might also have something to do with if. It. is enH that pinos raised from seed collected from young trees show Bymptoms of decay m about ten or twelve years ; moreover, p-nes arf, I think, Subject to sixteen or seventeen varieties of diseases. Perhiips tliia is one of them. To me the thing is surrounded with so much difficulty that I should liko to hear ths big swells m Wellington s'vitia tiuir opinion on it. They are all thcrn for tidal waves, earthquakes, and S3 forth. A few months ago I read nn occount of some diseaso infecting tho forests m China to euch an al arming extrnt that tho Kmpcror was about to offer a lnrjo bonus for the best essny to cheek tho disease. Strange tlsat our Governmont don't do Boroething m the sune direction. They are ready enough to fork out, tho public funds todofray tho expense re paesngo of members' wives, and that £ for £ to kill the mountain purrot (ke;>), though of less importance, lo the country than tho diseaso which now infests our trees. My excuse for taking up bo much space m jour vfiluablo columns, is with a viow to elicit further information about tho pine, blight. I urn. &c, A. Timnru, Sept. 25th, 1883

Pine-tree disease. rO THE BDITOE OF THB TIMABU HEBALD BlB,— A correspondent (T. Smith) writing to jour paper a week or two Bgo on the canee of the above «übject has not convinced me that he haa discovered the real cause of the diseaee. To my mind the climate is not too hot uor are the Canterbury plaina too rich j at lcnat m my country wo used to considor ■and and stones very poor soil indeed, and go