C—3

APPENDIX. SUMMARIZED REPORTS ON STATE AFFORESTATION. Auckland Region. The year with its evenly distributed rainfall was a good one for tree-growth, but tropical rains at frequent intervals did considerable damage to plantation roads, culverts, &c. Mnramarua Plantation.—General maintenance was carried on, 62 chains of new roads were formed, 1,820 chains were graded and repaired, and 1,400 chains of telephone-lines damaged by storms were overhauled and repaired. Clearing, ploughing, burning, &c., of firebreaks covered 6,490 chains. Five acres of underplanting with redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) was tried as an experiment. In this plantation P. radiata and P. ponderosa are making good progress, but many blocks of P. Laricio are unfortunately not true to type, and may require to be replanted with a more suitable species. Riverhead Plantation.—ln addition to routine maintenance work 7 chains of fencing and the cultivation of 473 chains of firebreak were completed. Other work included repairs to roads, bridges, telephone-lines, &c., as a result of damage from floods and heavy rain. Tairua Plantation.—At this station 173 acres of new planting and 610 acres blanking were completed. Here again much repair work to roads, bridges, culverts, &c., was necessary owing to flood damage. The pines from the southern States of the United States of America are doing well here, and P. ponderosa and P. Laricio are also thriving. After slow beginnings P. radiata makes rapid growth later on. Waipoua Plantation.—Of the various tree speeies planted at this station the semi-tropical pines of the southern American States seem most suited to the locality, and P. palustris, P. Taeda, P. echinata, and P. caribaea are all doing fairly well, while blocks of P. radiata are of a spindly nature but are putting on fair growth. Maintenance work was kept well up to date. Rotorua Region. At Kaingaroa Plantation a total area of 11,152 acres was planted with 7,655,500 trees — an average of about 680 trees per acre. The species used were P. ponderosa 60 per cent., Pseudo-tsuga taxifolia 28 per cent., P. Murrayana 9 per cent., the remainder being made up of P. Laricio and P. Strobus. In some shelter-belt planting 11,450 trees—P. radiata (1,450) and Alnus rubra (10,000) —were used. Most of the planting-work was carried out by relief labour, which, on the whole, proved satisfactory, the average daily planting being 580 trees per man, a slight improvement on the previous year. The stocktaking at Whakarewarewa Plantation was completed, and similar work at Waiotapu Plantation was commenced in January, 1936. - Nurseries. —Work was confined to the nurseries at Wairapukao (Kaingaroa Plains) and at Rotorua. At the former station 5,620,400 trees were lifted, and at the latter 5,029,100, making a total of 10,649,500. Present tree stocks are—Rotorua: 1,167,200 available for new season's planting, 1,298,500 to carry over for next season, and 23,700 for transfer to other regions. At Wairapukao the figures under the same heads are 3,621,300, 4,148,700, and 1,393,900. The grand total is 11,653,300. Wellington Region. Weather conditions at Karioi throughout the year were generally favourable to treegrowth in the plantation, but a dry spell and severe flooding in February did much damage to nursery beds. No new planting was done, but 291 acres were blanked with P. Laricio, Larix decidua, and P. ponderosa. Repairs to four bridges render necessary as a result of flood damage were carried out, and general maintenance work was kept up. At Erua 185 acres were planted with 56,000 Thuya plicata and 47,550 Cup. Lawsoniana trees, and the strike generally was very good. The total area planted at this station is now 2,703 acres. In the open country 50 chains of new road formation was completed, and old roads and tracks were reconditioned where necessary.

18