STATE NURSERIES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2174, 25 April 1908, Page 3

STATE NURSERIES.

RESULTS IN TAPANUL EXPERIMENT WITH OAK TREES. (Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, April-24. After the Prime Minister and the Minister of. Lands ' parted company on their .recent visit to Central Otago, the latter took the opportunity afforded of visiting the State nurseries and plantations m tho Tnpanui district and the poultry farm in the Tokomnlirodistrict. Mr. McNab was highly pleased with what he saw during his visits. It appears tho Agricultural Department is following out a policy of reducing tho number of nurseries in the South Island and concentrating its efforts on the growth of trees at those nurseries where they can be grown most economically. The Tapanui nursery is one of these, and from that nursery the Government is now sending out over a million trees per annum. Mr. McNab found everything in first-rate •order, and tho past year has been a phenomenal one, so far as germination of seeds is concerned. A visit to Dusky Hill plantation resulted in some very interesting observations. This plantation is situated some miles from Tapanui on tho hills and gullies in the gorge of the Pomahaka river. The layman might not consider it a suitable locality for a forest, but the experiment has been a through success and there is ample proof that tho locality has been well chosen. About two years ago tho greater portion of this plantation was devastated by a fire, caused by the carelessness of a local angler while boiling his billy.- After the fire, the deciduous trees which were burnt, except the larch, were cut -back and since this their growth has been phenomenal. There are now asli and oak trees, five, six, and soven feet high. Two seasons ago these were charred and blackened stumps, and since cutting back, both classes of trees, but more particularly the oak, have been crowing straighter and more progressively than they were growing previously. Indeed, Mr. McNab was so much astonished with the growth of the oak trees under their, altered conditions that lie has decidedupon the cutting back of an oak plantation that has been making somewhat slow growth on his own farm. The pines and larch in Dusky Hill plantation swept- by the fire are nearly all dead, but other trees have been planted instead, and are now coming away nicely. Had the plantation been one of oak purely, Mr. McNab believes the fire, forcing the cutting back of the trees, would not have caused any loss but would have been the means of greatly improving the whole of tho plantation. In regard to the ash trees, the improvment is not so marked, but even had the whole plantation been of ash it wou.d not have been totally destroyed by tho fire. Of tho 650. acres burnt, 100 acres were nlanted with oak and ash so that- the* total loss as a result of the fire was 500 acres of trees. A lew years ago the planting of acorns in the positions in which trees were meant to grow was undertaken, but though the plants came away nicely at first, they never afterwards made headway, and, indeed, proved a- complete failure. Mr. McNab has had a similar experience on his own farm, and it would anneal* from the foregoing as it the oak, at all events in Otago soil and climate, must bo grown in a seed bed, and transplanted subsequently, when it has attained a firm root. It must be cut down to tho ground and when it has sprouted again all tho sprouts, except tho more vigorous should be pruned away. It will grow in a sheltered spot from 2ft Gin to 3 ft in the first two years. The results attained on Dusky, Hill reserve, show that the larch, plantations and even tho pino plantations, though in tho latter case not to the same extent, when they reach the height of 15ft to 20ft are even nioro beautiful than a native forest, the beautiful shades of green in mass on the hill sides, being a paiticularly pleasing sight., Another point is worth mentioning. Inc ground in such plantations becomes soon covered with a carpet of fallen leaves that havo a considerable effect in retaining surface moisture,. “Probably,” said Mr. McNab, U some of our city councillors could see what lias taken place m this respect at Dusky Hill, they might- consider it moro economical, to plant more catchment areas for waterworks witn such forests. ' If they did, it would probably save them thousands, and, indeed, hundreds of thousands oi pounds in the course of a generation, or so, by doing away with the necessity of enlarging their reservoirs. As a matter of fact, this is the plan that is now being -adopted by some of the far-seeing corporations in the UKi World. Similarly much good,might be done- by similar planting m watersheds of rivers that, owing to ordinary cultivation and the destruction of original forests, are subject to severe droughts and sudden floods. ' At Conical Hills plantation, which is ah o in'the Tapanui district, -Mr. McNab found the trees coming away very well indeed. There a-thousand also havo been planted, and the Department is taking m another 100° acres for further planting. Altogether, Mr McNab was very well satisfied with tlie'forestry results being achieved in this district, and is confident tint wbidii a comparatively fm veins such plantations will be a source of considerable jirofit to the fetate.