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folio w^W^ B^ 8 Whi ° h haVe b f Q com P a^ atively successful - Che wing's fescue takes first place, nkm of er. nf ?ni ' M elatior, the latter, unfortunately, being a hosti plant of ergot and consequently undesirable for extended cultivation. nnrtb . n,fnf U theB6 fP erlments > in conjunction with those carried out in tree-planting on the north end of the same p ams, proves conclusively that, while grass-growing is impossible trial rnd7b° PeratlonS r aVe . b f n hlgWy r C6SsfuL Ali coniferous" trees'sufficiently lirdy to with wheth r extfnsive n wl* be y ond and it is a matter L co/sideration whether extensive plantations should not be started here in the near future. I believe the area of these plains held by the Crown totals over a million acres, all of which is not only capable of pro ducmg timber of the best quality, but by the beneficial effects resulting from annual shed£_ a *— ™ "* -tually render them JSS3 Hanmer Springs Plantation, North Canterbury. (Area, 600 acres—approximate.) During June last a commencement was made to enclose portion of the Hanmer Springs Eeserve for forestry purposes. The land selected is generally poor and in summer tTons 171 S 688 . 1 aPable ° f T WlDg , a Wld . range ° f foreSt trees sulCable t0 *" olimatid cond? s'Jl n an ]° Unt ° . lnanuk . and ° ther S3mb COTers to drier portions of the ground, 7ufZT t V f eSOt CUS ?° Ck ° n ncher P arts - Several swam P s ( whi <* can be easily drained loVmg tre6S ' BUOh aS °°™ toWardS the -uthern boundary, inn n T l e ,T k t0 K dat6 has been confined *° clea ™g fence-lines, erecting fence, and clearing about 100 acres of scrub preparatory to pitting for trees later on. A substantial fence, consisting one £n Zfa seven f f Per chain, 42m. by IJin. mesh by 16 gauge wire netting sunk into ground 6 m with one barb wire on top, has been partially erected, and°four 10 ft. iron gates have been placed a convenient intervals to give entrance to various parts of the reserve g „_ ,1, we , Bte ™. boundary adjoins Dog Creek, which is some 60 ft. below the terrace on the rive ' Tr St at *? end the la » d falls to the creek-level. Between he river and top of terrace is the only steep and broken portion of the area. Preparations hive been made to plant acorns in situ here, at 3 ft. apart. NT P ° r P la f tln § next season some one- and two-year-old trees have been sent from Tapanui Srifl _ . V 6d "v m " tem P° rar y and annual supplies of similar trees wUlbe brought here and treated as above, as it is necessary to acclimatise them before planting out permanently, besides saving additional cost of sending large trees such a distance pc? rail and CO Sh Those already received have done exceedingly well, considering the frequency of high drying winds experienced during the summer. J ° ' ° winus A travelling whare, 12 ft. by 8 ft., has been procured for the Forester in charee which can be moved from place to place as the works demand ouar_e, wmcn can He . Amongst plantations in the district it is found that the English larch succeeds best on the drier lands, and Abies douglasii, Abies menziesii, and oak on the fairly moist portions These rees dBaltWith ' Sh6lter fM them WiU te W by planting Enghsl Prior to the Ist September the planting of Hanmer Springs Water-race Eeserve and the area for the proposed new Sanatorium was under control of this Department, and on both these places a considerable amount of work was done in clearing, fencing, and planting. On the date mentioned the above were taken over by the Tourist Department. mentioned Tore a Neck Eeserve, Marlborough. (Area, 26 acres.) On. Th n_ re i S .7 e Q WaS _° rig _ a ?. ly S6t aP o rt for the P ur P° se of allowin g communication between Queen Charlotte Sound and Kenepuru Sound, and is the main thoroughfare between Pic ton and Pelorus Sounds. The reserve was leased by the Marlborough Land Board to a settler for native g bus U h POS6S ' V V bUrnt Wh ° le area ' which Was formerl y covered with A most pernicious weed known as St. John's wort, was unfortunately not kept in check by the essee, with the result that the whole area was one mass of dense undergrowth. The eradication of his weed has been a very costly item owing to its deep-rooting nature and the difficulty o burnng t,,f Uther ' 1C .? as be .f a » owed t0 seed ~r some years, and the whole of the hand is thuf thickly strewn with small seedlings immediately after being disturbed by grubbing up the larger In several deep gullies large quantities of fallen timber were lying in a half-decayed and sodden condition, causing considerable labour in burning uecayea and The following works have been carried out to date: Clearing and burning about 15 acres of St Johns wort, logging and burning 7 acres of fallen timber, forming 25 cha.ns of 6ft paths and the erection of 50 chains fencing of posts and wire netting. P ' The expenditure to date amounts to £141 16s. sd. Eainclipp Plantation Eeserve, South Canterbury. (Area, 206 acres 3 roods.) This plantation was recently acquired by Government as a State forest at a cost of £812 10s - barely £4 per acre, which is little more than the value of the land-including over 200 chain ' of fencing. The plantation is distant twelve miles from Pleasant Point and thirteen miles from Fairhe. The land is mostly steep hillsides with deep valleys, soil rather poor in quality S open

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