Trees in Pumiceland.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13532, 29 February 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

Trees in Pumiceland.

STATE PLANTATIONS The. Auckland "Herald" recently published a most interesting article in connection with the work of the State Forestry Department, from its special reporter. He says that one of the mest striking improvements which is being made on the pumice lands of the l'.ntorua. district, and one which will have far reaching effects mi all the thermal regions, is the planting of trees carried out under the New Zealand Forestry Department. Hitherto tho lack of trees' has been a serious drawback to the. scenic effects of this most interesting part of New Zealand. The contour of the country is picturesque enough. An artist, would* delight in the outline ,nf hills and peaks, valleys and plains, but the sombre covering of manuka scrub or brown fern stretching in endless vistas grows monotonous. The Fostery Department, one of the numerous sections of the New Zealand Department, of Lands, is planting trees: by the million on the hill slopes about the Whakarewarewa and Waiotupu. and it takes but little imaginatj ion to realise how this will add to the beamy of th--.se. districts and to the wealth I of the nation. | TALKING IN MILLIONS. The State nur.serits at Whakarewarewa were iuslituled just about ten years ago. and in ilii. shoil linn- have iais.nl 23£ million lives, ll is easy enough lo talk glibly in millions, bill the human mind does" not really grasp their singilicanco. Th-.- capacity at' tlf niif=erv i- yearly iIHMV.IMi.jr. ' 1.a.-i reason over 7.0C0.000 tiv.s w.'-iv raised, or nearly a third of lietotal for the ten years it h:i.- been in e.vistei.rv. Thai the "pumice .-. il i> admirably adapt-.-d for the growth of forei'f it'-.* no one can doubt after s.-einsr WliaUaiv waivwa or Waiotapu. Kven at the nursery no great amount "f feitiliisers is ivi>- "required. The .veil hed.s are mauiii -d e'Viv second war. and when the sva.-on'i; crop i> removed they are alb.wed to >.•- main fallow for a year. N'o niaiiui.. i> used in ih- p.-rmaileiit planlal ion-. TFIK INVAU'AI-I.K I.Altcll. The principal variety of lie- iai.-ed at Wliakar-waivwa is the larch, which ,epie -•'IIIs al>:,nt. half lb- total amount. This

lice, as i-vi-vyiiiu- knows, produces a. very I useful class ot timber which can be used ii. t only for general farm purposes but for railway sUvpeis, bridge work, and g.-iK-ral building. As an instance of I li<i lipid growth ot larch on these poor pmn ice soils, one can see quite a number of" irei-s which have reached the height of 25ft in rive years. the maximum growth of this tree in Europe, oven ,on the must suitable soil, never exceeds 2ft per year, it will be acknowledged that pumice soil must have sunk- magical properties. Other larch trees planted nine years ago in another part of the jminic-r' bell were measured recently. Several of these were 35ft in height and were 9in in diameter 3ft from the ground. Kach of these trees would .produce a straining po.-t and two ordinory fencing posts. As fanners establishing larch plantations would place the trees about 6ft. apart, this would mean 1200 trees per acre or 3600 posts. OTHER FIXES GROW. Another tree largely planted is the C.'nrsican pine, which has an annual growth i f 3ft. after its fourth year, or about twice the European vale of growth. t'nlike the. larch, which revels in high <lry itphinds and dois not like low or swampy ground, the Coisican pine will grow in almesr any ."oil and at antr altitude from sea-level up to ihe snow line, and in allinst any soil, from pure sand to stiff clay. The only other pine grown in large numbers is the heavy wooded pine l.pinus pondorosa). The timber of this free is largely imported into Xew Zealand from America for general joinery. It is a tree suitable for any soil if not too wet, or for any elevation, and frequently makes a growth of 3ft. to 4ft. yearly. There are about 40 varieties of the, eucalyptus family grown, but only four or five out of this) number are well adapted for the pumice country. These gums make, a growth of from 4ft. to 6ft. per year after the fourth year. The broadleaf trees, such as oak, ash, elm, and sycamore, have not proved themselves generally suitable for the pumice lands. They repuire a rather stiff clay subsoil, and would flourish best on the gum fields. PKISON LABOUR. The Wa-iotapu plantation is worked entirely by prison labour, and the experiment of utilising this form of labour has lieen most successful in every respect. About forty or fifty 2'risoners are emqloyed, drawn from the goals of Wellington and Auskland. The men themselves like the work, and give very little trouble. They work well and take an interest in the growth of the trees. Evidently treeplanting lias proved a turning point in the career of a good many of these men, for quite a number of these prisoners are now employed by the Forestry Department in various parts of the Dominion, and give every satisfaction. Latterly a. neAV departure has been made in this respect. A special camp has been established near Waiotapu for ex-prisoners, and thesu men are offered contract work enabling them to earn about &s per day, thus giving them the chance of making a fresh start in life. As giving an idea, of the popularity of this move among the prisoners, over 50 per cent, of the men under sentece have expressed their intention of joining this ramp when their term is up.