212
Estimate of Yearly Recurring Outlay.
1. 60 Coolies for 1 month, seed collecting at 6 Coolies for $1 per diem., 300.00
2. 60 Coolies for 2 months, digging holes and carrying trees,
3. 6 Permanent Coolies to work in nurseries, 12 months,
4. Purchase of Cocoas and select seeds,
5. Repair of tools and baskets, &c.,
Total Yearly Outlay,..........
Note. If convict labour be used, items 2 and 3 may be omitted, reducing
total yearly outlay to ..........................
Hongkong, 28th August, 1877.
600.00
330.00
200.00
150.00
$1,610.00
. 650.00
J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General,
HONGKONG, 15th September, 1877.
SIR, -- Having learnt from various sources that you have, for some years past, devoted so much attention to the propagation and culture of native and foreign trees, I venture to enclose, for your perusal and remarks, a copy of a Report I have submitted to Government on the wooding of the Island, and I would feel extremely obliged by any advice or suggestions which your mature experience and valuable professional knowledge of the subject may enable you to give me.
J. D. HUMPHREYS, Esq.
I have, &c.,
J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General.
REPORT BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF GARDENS AND PLANTATIONS ON
AFFORESTATION IN HONGKONG,
1. There are ten Government nurseries situated in Hongkong and on the Kowloon peninsula, which comprise about 20 acres of land, and contain about 150,000 two-year-old trees, and small seedlings raised this year to supply about 250,000 trees for planting in 1881.
2. The 150,000 two-year-old trees now in the nurseries will be nearly all planted during the next two months; 60,000 trees have already been planted this year, and sites sown on the hills, where the seedlings will remain, for 60,000 more, which will make a total for this year's work of 270,000 trees, covering an area of 245 acres.
3. In addition to Pinus sinensis, which has hitherto been chiefly used for the endowment of the hills with forest vegetation, seeds of several of the indigenous trees of other kinds, such as the Oaks, Tallow-tree, &c., several species of Eucalypti, and other Australian trees, and the Japanese Pinus Massoniana, have been sown in the nurseries, so as to afford more variety to the future plantations, as valuable and beautiful in years to come. Probably many kinds of trees not yet used may be found to succeed, and render the plantations more
4. If the experiment which is being tried of sowing the seeds in situ proves successful, which it promises well to do, the cost of afforestation of the Island will be much reduced and the operations greatly accelerated, as I estimate that with the like sum of $7,680 which was granted for each of the last two years, we shall be able to sow in situ seeds to cover 600 acres with trees, that is, about four or five times as large an area as could be accomplished by rearing trees in nurseries and transplanting.
5. The work of afforestation can, no doubt, be greatly advanced by the co-operation of Chinese, who would, if suitable encouragement be offered by the Government, undertake to plant large areas for the return of being allowed to use the thinnings of the trees under certain regulations, for a certain number of years, say 15, when the plantations might revert to the Government, or be leased for an extended period, under such a regulation, or modification of it, as clause No. 28 of the Mauritius Ordinance No. 12 of 1872.
HONGKONG, 1st October, 1877.
SIR, -- The only point not touched upon in the tree planting Report you were kind enough to send me to read is the economic view of the subject. I have no means of obtaining statistics, and can therefore only throw out crude suggestions which might be worked into form from information collected through the Harbour Master's Office and the timber yards of the Colony.
Three or four of the small market gardeners at Kowloon have expressed themselves willing to plant 100,000 trees next year under such an arrangement as the above, and one of the chief contractors in Hongkong says that he would like to plant trees if the benefit could be secured to him for 50 years.
That tree planting on a large scale will add to the health of the Colony and by so doing decrease the cost of Works and of the Military and Civil Service Establishments is certain, and, on the principle of a penny saved being two-pence gained, this should probably be a sufficient return for the outlay.
But I see no reason why a large direct revenue could not be derived from timber growing on a large scale as suggested by you. The China fir will grow anywhere. Its wood is valuable for building purposes and is used almost exclusively by the inhabitants of this Island for fuel, being imported in enormous quantities from the neighbouring province of Quangsi at heavy cost for freight.
The value of the China fir imported for building purposes I am unable to guess at, but I should have no hesitation in fixing the value of the imports for firewood at $40,000 annually.
The value of other kinds of timber could probably be approximately arrived at by the enquiry suggested in the first paragraph.
6. Accompanying this paper are some photographs representing portions of the work which has been and is being done in tree-planting,
7. Nos. 1 and 2 represent two of the nurseries. No. 1 is the nursery on the Kowloon peninsula, and shows in the foreground this year's seedling trees just above ground. In the background of this view, the dark patches represent two-year-old trees, most of which will be planted out this year.
8. No. 2 is a photograph of a portion of the nursery in the Sookunpò valley, and shows the way in which uneven and sloping ground is dealt with so as to admit of irrigation.
9. Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are plantations, No. 3 being the northern spur of Mt. Gough, which was planted this year with bamboos and "banian Trees 11 feet high of the latter have been successfully planted on the hills this season. landi and Q. salicina in the middle, and four-year-old trees, about 6 feet high, of Pinus sinensis at top.
Why should this Colony not grow, for the timber market here, all that it is capable of producing on the waste lands? In the course of ten to twenty years it ought to be able to meet a fair share of the demand for firewood and China fir for building purposes. In from twenty to fifty years it might supply many of the more valuable kinds of timber so much sought after for furniture and the better purposes for which wood is used.
10. No. 4 represents an avenue with Bamboos, Casuarinas, Pinus, &c., in the Bowrington plantation, which were planted five years ago. The hill behind the forester's cottage is clothed with Pine trees about 40 feet high.
11. Photo. No. 5 shows plantations made on the sides of the road leading from the city to Victoria Peak; they were planted in 1875 and 1877. The light-coloured patch on the right-hand side is the Campher tree nursery. In the centre is the Guinea-grass (Panicum maximum) farm surrounding the farmer's house and out-buildings.
That most of the more valuable forest trees will thrive here has been fully established in the public and private gardens of the Colony. Anything more rapid than the growth of the Campher tree from Formosa and the Iron Bark of Australia I have not seen anywhere, while the Mahogany does almost equally well after it is fairly established.
The Honourable J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General,
&c.,
&c.,
12. No. 6 is a portion of the indigenous vegetation of the Little Hongkong woods. The trees consist of Oaks, Schima Noronhae, Ternstroemia japonica, Bischoffia javanica, Artocarpus hypargyrea, Elaeocarpus chinensis, Gordonia anomala, &c.
13. Pinus Sinensis, when established, grows about 2 to 3 feet a year in height.
I have, &c.,
J. D. HUMPHREYS,
15th May, 1880.
CHARLES FORD,
Supt, Botanical Gardens and Plantations.
212
Estimate of Yearly Recurring Outlay.
1. 60 Coolies for 1 month, seed collecting at 6 Coolies for $1 per diem., 300.00 2. 60 Coolies for 2 months, digging holes and carrying trees,
3. 6 Permanent Coolies to work in nurseries, 12 months,
4. Purchase of Cocoas and select seeds,
5. Repair of tools and baskets, &c.,
Total Yearly Outlay,..........
Note. If convict labour be used, items 2 and 3 may be omitted, reducing
total yearly outlay to ..........................
Hongkong, 28th August, 1877.
600.00
330.00
200.00
150.00
$1,610.00
. 650.00
J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General,
HONGKONG, 15th September, 1877. SIR, -- Having learnt from various sources that you have, for some years past, devoted spo attention to the propagation and culture of native and foreign trees, I venture to enclose, for your perusal and remarks, a copy of a Report I have submitted to Government on the wooding of the Island, and I would feel extremely obliged by any advice or suggestions which your mature experience and valuable professional knowledge of the subject may enable you to give me.
J. D. HUMPHREYS, Esq.
I have, &c.,
J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General.
REPORT BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF GARDENS AND PLANTATIONS ON
AFFORESTATION IN HONGKONG,
1. There are ten Government nurseries situated in Hongkong and on the Kowloon peninsula, which comprise about 20 acres of land, and contain about 150,000 two-year-old trees, and small eedlings raised this year to supply about 250,000 trees for planting in 1881.
2. The 150,000 two-year-old trees now in the nurseries will be nearly all planted during the next two months; 60,000 trees have already been planted this year, and sites sown on the hills, where the seedlings will remain, for 60,000 more, which will make a total for this year's work of 270,000 trees, covering an area of 245 acres.
3. In addition to Pinns sinensis, which has hitherto been chiefly used for the endowment of the hills with forest vegetation, seeds of several of the indigenous trees of other kinds, such as the Oaks, Tallow-tree, &c., several species of Eucalypti, and other Australian trees, and the Japanese Pinus Massoniana, have been sown in the nurseries, so as to afford more variety to the future plantations, as valuable and beautiful in years to come. probably many kinds of trees not yet used may be found to succeed, and render the plantations more
4. If the experiment which is being tried of sowing the seeds in situ proves successful, which it promises well to do, the cost of afforestation of the Island will be much reduced and the operations greatly accelerated, as I estimate that with the like sum of $7,680 which was granted for each of the last two years, we shall be able to sow in situ seeds to cover 600 acres with trees, that is, about four or five times as large an area as could be accomplished by rearing trees in nurseries and transplanting. 5. The work of afforestation can, no doubt, be greatly advanced by the co-operation of Chinese, who would, if suitable encouragement be offered by the Government, undertake to plant large arcas for the return of being allowed to use the thinnings of the trees under certain regulations, for à certain aumber of years, say 15, when the plantations might revert to the Government, or be leased for an HONGKONG, 1st October, 1877. extended period, under such a'regulation, or modification of it, as clause No. 28 of the Mauritius SIR, ---The only point not touched upon in the tree planting Report you were kind enough to send themselves willing to plant 100,000 trees next year under such an arrangement as the above, and one Ordinance No. 12 of 1872. Three or four of the small market gardeners at Kowloon have expressed me to read is the economic view of the subject. I have no means of obtaining statistics, and cof the chief contractors in Hongkong says that he would like to plant trees if the benefit could be therefore only throw out crude suggestions which might be worked into form from information collected through the Harbour Master's Office and the timber yards of the Colony.
secured to him for 50 years.
That tree planting on a large scale will add to the health of the Colony and by so doing decreas the cost of Works and of the Military and Civil Service Establishments-is certain, and, on the principle of a penny saved being two-pence gained, this should probably be a sufficient return for the outlay.
But I see no reason why a large direct revenue could not be derived from timber growing on i large scale as suggested by you. The China fir will grow anywhere. Its wood is valuable for building purposes and is used almost exclusively by the inhabitants of this Island for fuel, being imported enormous quantities from the neighbouring province of Quangsi at heavy cost for freight.
The value of the China fir imported for building purposes I am unable to guess at, but I should have no hesitation in fixing the value of the imports for firewood at $40,000 annually.
The value of other kinds of timber could probably be approximately arrived at by the enquire suggested in the first paragraph.
6. Accompanying this paper are some photographs representing portions of the work which has been and is being done in tree-planting,
7. Nos. 1 and 2 represent two of the nurseries. No. 1 is the nursery on the Kowloon peninsula, and shows in the foreground this year's seedling trees just above ground. In the back ground of this view, the dark patches represent two-year-old trees, most of which will be planted out, this year.
8. No. 2 is a photograph of a portion of the nursery in the Sookunpò valley, and shows the way in which uneven and sloping ground is dealt with so as to admit of irrigation.
"
which was planted this year with bamboos and "banian
9. Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are plantations, No. 3 being the northern spur of Mt. Gough, the sky line of
at the lower portion; Oaks, Quercus Har- Trees 11 feet high of the latter have been successfully planted on the hills this season. landi and Q. salicina in the middle, and four-year-old trees, about 6 feet high, of Pinus sinensis at top.
Why should this Colony not grow, for the timber market here, all that it is capable of producing on the waste lands? In the course of ten to twenty years it ought to be able to meet a fair share of the demand for firewood and China fir for building purposes. In from twenty to fifty years it might suppl 10. No. 4 represents an avenue with Bamboos, Casurarinas, Pinus, &c., in the Bowrington planta- many of the more valuable kinds of timber so much sought after for furniture and the better purposetion, which were planted five years ago. The hill behind the forester's cottage is clothed with Pine for which wood is used. And in a
Colony with every natural facility for ship-building and the trees about 40 feet high. advantage of cheap skilled labour, an unfailing demand must always exist for all that can be grown
the spot.
11. Photo. No. 5 shows plantations made on the sides of the road leading from the city to Victoria That most of the more valuable forest trees will thrive here has been fully established in the
Peak; they were planted in 1875 and 1877. The light-coloured patch on the right hand side is public and private gardens of the Colony. Anything more rapid than the growth of the Campher tree nursery. In the centre is the Guinca-grass (Panicurn maximum) farm surrounding
the farmer's house and out-buildings. tree from Formosa and the Iron Bark of Australia I have not seen anywhere, while the Mahopal does almost equally well after it is fairly established. The future revenue derivable from large foref of such trees surrounding a commercial centre would be probably as great as that derived from to a hundred tines as large an area in a country less favourably situated.
The Honourable J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General,
&c.,
&c.,
12. No. 6 is a portion of the indigenous vegetation of the Little Hongkong woods. The trees consist of Oaks, Schima Noronhae, Ternstroemia japonica, Bischoffia javanica, Artocarpus hypargyrea, Eloeocarpus chinensis, Gordonia anomala, &c.
13. Pinus Sinensis, when established, grows about 2 to 3 feet a year in height.
I have, &c.,
J. D. HUMPURETS,
15th May, 1880.
CHARLES FORD,
Supt, Botanical Gardens und Plantations.
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