FORESTRY IN VICTORIA. - VISIT TO THE MACEDON STATE NURSERY. - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 2 May 1890 (original) (raw)

VISIT TO THE MACEDON STATE

At the invitation of the Minister of Lands and

Agriculture a large Parliamentary party, num-

bering some 60 gentlemen, including Messrs.

Langridge, Laurens, Cameron, C. Young, Webb,

F. Stuart, M'Lellan. Officer, M'Intyre, M'Coll,

Bailes, M.L.A.'s; D.Ham, W. Irving Winter and

Sir Benjamin Benjamin, M.L.C.'s, and other mem-

bers, visited the Macedon State Nursery yester-

day for the purpose of making an inspection

of the plantation. The visitors left town in a

special train, which arrived at Macedon shortly

after noon. Mr. Dow and the conservator of

forests, Mr. Perrin, acted as guides to the party,

and conducted it over the nursery. There are

some 32 acres under cultivation. The grounds

have been tastefully laid out, and presented an

attractive appearance, notwithstanding the

unkindly character of the soil and the unfavor-

able season experienced. Although the nursery

has been established for some years there are no

mechanical appliances on the ground for water

ing the seed beds or young trees, and

the primitive method of watering by hand labor

is the only one followed. The nursery, as a

whole, presented a parched aspect, and some of

the young trees looked none too flourishing in

consequence. It is explained, however, that

this apparently unfavorable state of things is

purposely designed in order to permit experi-

ments in tree planting being conducted under the

most trying conditions. Trees raised in such poor

soil and under such disadvantageous conditions

have a hardier growth, and may be transplanted

to any other part of the colony with the cer-

tainty of flourishing there, whereas had they

been raised in rich soil they would probably not

survive transplantation into poor soil, or in the

arid districts of the colony. A large variety of

pines, oaks, poplars, eucalyptus and de-

ciduous trees are raised in the nursery.

Experiments are also being tried, and

with success, in growing tea, tobacco

and other plants. After the visitors had been

conducted over the nursery and shown its ex-

tent, and noted its well kept condition, an ad-

journment was made to the caretaker's quarters,

where a luncheon was set out.

After the toast of the Queen had been

Mr. M'Intyre proposed the health of the

Minister of Agriculture, and invited Mr. Dow to

give some account of the work done recently by

the forestry branch of the department, over

Mr. Dow, in acknowledging the compliment,

said the importance of forestry had not hitherto

been fully recognised in the colony. Though

some good work had been done in the past

much yet remained to be accomplished.

Since the appointment of Mr. Perrin as conser-

vator of forests good progress had been made, and

the area of State forests increased from under

2,000,000 acres to over 4,000,000 acres. Four

State nurseries were now in full swing, and last

year 160,000 trees had been distributed through-

out the colony. Of these 2000 were obtained

from the Macedon nursery, 43,000 from the

Sawpit nursery in the Creswick State forest,

41,000 from the Havelock nursery, and 56,000

for the You Yangs plantation. Efforts were

being made to largely increase the supply of

young trees, and Mr. Perrin estimated that this

year there would be 260,000 trees available for

distribution, while nearly treble the quantity

would be available for the following year.

The department was sparing no efforts in

giving the fullest encouragement to tree

planting, and 40,000 young trees would be avail-

able this year for Arbor day, 21st June. Great

success had attended the planting which took

place on last Arbor day. According to inquiries

made about 60 per cent, of the trees planted last

June wore flourishing. Especial care was taken

by State school teachers of the consignments

entrusted to their care. The Victorian farmers

were as well informed upon the question of the

commercial value of timber growing as were the

farmers in any other part of the world. They

had had a great mass of valuable information

brought under their notice by the press of the

colony, and had not only been written for, but

also lectured to, and received the advice of ex-

perts in forestry. The Victorian farmer need not

now be told that it would pay him better

to grow timber, yielding £30 per acre, instead of

wheat that returned 30s. per acre. But as he

was not a millionaire and had to cut his way,

axe in hand, through the virgin forests of the

colony, the farmer had to turn his attention to

what would bring him in an immediate return.

What the farmer had to do for the

present was to make each year's work

square up at the end of every year. He could

not afford to wait for three, four, or five years

for a return. The Government had therefore

proposed to Parliament that the State should

give the farmers a little assistance in

the meantime. Parliament had nobly re-

sponded to the suggestion, and he anti-

cipated the grandest results from the

distribution of bonuses which were now avail-

able to any agriculturist who wished to give

some attention to forestry.

The speech of Mr. Dow was well received, and

elicited frequent applause. Only one other toast

was proposed, The Health of the Conservator of

Mr. Perrin, in responding, referred in detail

to the work carried on at the different nurseries

throughout the colony, and added that the

climate of Australia, and particularly that of

Victoria, was suitable to growth of the best

The visitors returned to town by special train,

which arrived at the Spencer-street station at