BOTANIC GARDEN FOR NATIVE PLANTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 10

BOTANIC GARDEN FOR NATIVE PLANTS.

' S3UO , °f. August 25. is■ a letter from-. Utility ou • tho above subject, advocat. ing' tjiat. Wilton fl Bush would be a much'bettor place than Newtown Pnric for the'garden t^ro ( aro a , number of native plants f'. sor £> ftnd many : could bo added but■ that is not. all: -'In the first : place, 1 there is a- sorious; objection' to - the locality as a P.'AW for.tlio gardens, if: they are to be of an? advantage .tothe comniunity,. and- especially W .the.school children, aiid thai is, its distance from 'tho city. *1 hough the' trams will in diie cour S9 run .to it is some distant from the terminus,-and moro expensive to get there.- ; So far'as I: am,-aware,- the botanical gardens in this Dominion, and .in' Australia are ?'°f? town,.and- easy, of, access. s -the great' advantage of- having 'the garden' in ; Newtown Park, is tho. fact that, two of the' largest -public schools: are close to,, and. Mount, toot and_TeAro. schools ate also on the penn'v aln '" l€re ar ® 'he beginnings of a -Zoo, •• so students, of : natural' history would have the doublo advantago of the Zoo and Botanical Gafdon'fftr their ,uso. .Then, again, tho' surroundings,-if made .as they should ajid could •?; rat .. a ™ry small expense, are much more attractive than tho "other locality.;, The caso with which-people can cet to tho nark should be conßidored,'<a&-. the main- object of tho garden is , to let the . city; sce-at* any/ -tuno, thevegetation of the country,' at practically their' .o\yn--doors.- ,-, •. , ;As has been .stated before, tho s vegetation of this' country;; particularly that • of the Alpino -Uorar-ia^ne'of-the.most remarkable in tho' TCorltL With regard to tho Government tak*.

{»? 'be . , U P«, "Utility" lias no • knoiv-, ledge of how little the Government euro about mo thing of that kind. When tho late' Chief i? ? i wa . s " alive, I am informed he made ottcirts to havo collections of nafciro plants maae tor the various State nurseries, but without success. Amnio, opportunity was afforded by his travels through tho various-.parte'of the country, but nothing was done. The late m!£!2 10 £ 7°? V Jjclfevc, have dono some* thing had; he lived, but like other of his weas, the present successor and most of hia assistants caro 'for - nothing but glamour, so they are left in obscurity. -There is a hope, however, since the advent of the Hon. T. MacKenzie ;tliafc something will bo done, as he is i mnoh-interested in tho plants of the country.. J 0 it 0 « over nmenc liaving many officers spread all over the land, that is true, but it does not follow that any arc qualified to tnko in nana such a work as that of the fiom * one who has had experience in aotually growing native plants, knovzs : where they grow, and the necessary surroundings' for their cultivation. As to. the • cost, .'that of maintenance, etc., would ba very, small, and in time they could'be made" practically,-self-sup-porting, _by a. proper system of exchanges, as is done in other places,' and by tho extra tram fares.—l am, etc.,.... *

BOTANICAL GARDENS WANTED, September G.