23

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Ewbburn Nursery, near Nasebt, Otago. (Area, 49 acres; altitude, 1,400 ft.) The rainfall during the year has been very slight, the total being 1398 in. on eighty-six days, and maximum fall being T64in., on the 21st January of the present year. The highest reading of the thermometer was 95° (in shade) on the 22nd December, and the lowest 11° (21° of frost), on the night of the 20th June. Frosts occurred on 131 nights. Although the season has been a very dry one, and accompanied by heavy winds, the growth of nursery stock has been very satisfactory. The probable number sufficiently advanced for transferring will be 400,000. Seeds were sown as usual in October, and produced 698,800 sturdy plants from 1101b. of seed; the only variety that did not germinate was larch, and I may say that this is the first time that we have not managed to get a strike of this variety. There were 667,000 trees lined out, at an average cost of 2s. 3d. per thousand. The number of trees sent to Government plantations was 199,975, their value being £532 10s. 2d. The number of trees sent out to date amounts to 2,764,352, and their value is £6,580 9s. The number of trees in nursery at 31st March, 1909, was 1,991,650, and these are valued at £3,539 6s. 9d. Details of same may be found in Schedules 1 to 5. The average number of hands employed was five (day-labour). Appended are the meteorological records for the year: —

Statement of Expenditure. £ s. d. Amount at 31st March, 1909 ... ... ... ... 10,31115 6 Tree-growing ... ... ... ... ... ... 377 6 2 General maintenance and repairs ... ... ... ... 172 19 6 Horse-feed, purchased and grown ... ... ... ... 41 15 3 Tree-seeds ... ... ... ... ... ... 19 7 4 Fuel ... ... ... ... .... ... ... 712 11 Tools, implements, &c. ... ... ... .. 719 Nursery-formation ... ... ... ... ... 0 15 0 Proportion of Nurseryman's salary ... ... ... 126 0 0 Supervision ... ... ... ... ... ... 17 0 0 £11,081 13 5 Value of Stock, Improvements. <tv. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Amount at 31st March, 1909 ... 7,589 1 1 Less value of trees at 31st 2,627 4 10 March, 1909 Lees horse-feed in stock at 31st 15 10 0 March, 1909 Less tools written off during year 31 1 3 2,673 16 1 Carried forward ... ... 4,915 5 0

Month. Rainfall. of Days TemperaRain fell. ture. Number I Rainfall. of Days Rain fell. I j Maximum Temperature. Date. Date. Minimum Tempera- Date, ture. 1909. April May June July August September... October November ... December ... Inches. Degrees.' 133 5 68 ... 0-51 5 68 2-07 9 66 1-06 7 62 ... 0-31 7 63 ... 0-76 8 70 1-24 10 72 ... 1-11 9 78 0-73 5 95 20th 23rd 3rd 3rd 29th 30th 11th 10th 22nd I Degrees. 24 19th 23 17th 11 20th 18 7th & 14th 21 12th 20 2nd 20 115th k 17th 30 5th 34 19th 1910. January February ... March " ... 2-52 8 87 ... 1-85 3 87 0-49 10 83 26th 6th 1st & 9th 37 13th 36 16th & 17th 18 29th Totals ... 13-98 86