712
5 Report by Mr. Dunn upon the Choice of Rotation for Finus Massoniana in Hongkong.
BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMENT,
HONGKONG, 30th March, 1905.
1. Situation and general description of the Island.-The Island of Hongkong is about 11 miles long and from 2 to 5 miles broad. It consists of a broken ridge of lofty hills with few valleys of any extent and scarcely any ground available for high cultivation.
2. Climate. The mean temperature, humidity and rain in the different months are as follows:-
July.
Jan. Feb.
Mar. April. May. Juue. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year.
Mean temperature, 59.7
Mean humidity, 74 79 84 85
Mean rain,
57.7
1.54 2.09
2.99
62.2 69.9 76.6 80.7
83 83
5.98 13.15 16.49
81.6 81.0 80.4 76.2 69.2 | 62.4 71.5
83 83 77 71 65 64 87
14.21 13.48 8.83 5.79 1.30.098 86.86
3. Soil. On the area subjected to afforestation the subsoil everywhere con- sists of decomposed granite mixed with occasional boulders. There is very little humus except in the ravines, and what collects under the trees is speedily removed by the Chinese in all the more accessible plantations.
4. Method and cost of planting. The plantations consist solely of Pinus
massoniana.
The trees are raised from seed and planted out when about 16 months old into one-foot-cube pits, about 1,000 to the acre, The whole raising and planting is done by contract under supervision. The average cost during the last 10 years for the whole process was $35 per 1,000.
5. Expenses of up-keep and protection
Forestry Staff-Head Forester,
Foreman, Do.,
.$ 264 per annum.
168
11
163
19
"
10 Forest Guards,
1,080
"
21
10 Foresters,
8 Do.,
1,125
672 77
59
A
อง
Total,
$3,477
"
79
About half of the expense of this staff is chargeable to the up-keep of the Pine plantations.
Fire barriers this year cost $531.36, while the average for the last 10 years has been $387.
6. Liability to damage. This liability proceeds from (1) the prevalence of fires during the dry season; (2) the large number of poor Chinese who habitually derive their livelihood from the unauthorized sale of pine-needle litter, pine bran- ches and pine timber; (3) caterpillar plagues; (4) typhoons.
(1.) Though the plantations are well traversed by fire barriers, which are cleaned annually, and though special precautions are taken at the times when fires are most prevalent, there is always a considerable annual loss from fire.
(2.) The stealing of whole trees is kept down by the forest guard service. Convictions are easily obtained. The constant breaking off of branches and scraping up of pine needles by the Chinese is very difficult to deal with, for, though the offences are trivial and convictions hardly obtainable, the aggregate damage is very great.
(3.) These visitations are periodic and rather expensive to deal with. (4.) Damage from typhoons has not been great for some years.