NATURAL HISTORY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2540, 14 August 1915, Page 14

NATURAL HISTORY NOTES

FLOWERS AND PIGEONS (By John Castle, Hon. Secretary of the Wellington Zoological Society.) In/remote ages roses were cultivated in Europe and Asia, but most of them wero single and several were ordinary briers. They were not as beautiful as modom roses aim their cultivation was hiT from general. In the Bible, although many beautiful flowers are mentioned, tho rose is hot hinted at. In two places tho word rose appears in tho Authorised Version; but the Eevisod Version, although retaining the word, tells us tliat tho Hebrew word used in both places stands for tho "autumn crocus." In the 16th century there tvero but ver>- few species of roses represented in England. In tho 18th century probably there wero not more than thirty, and several of these were ordinary briers, while tho. number of varieties of' double roses, although much moro numerous than species, did not exceed thirty. But in the 19#li century men awoke to the possibilities of the rosery; and early in that century an eminent Frenchman had enumerated and described more than 2500 beautiful varieties of roses cultivated in France. To-day in the rosery, man, in partnership with Nature, is working wonders, which, when transferred to the rosery, reveal a richness of variety and beauty which seems inexhaustible. And now tile rose must bo regarded as the queen of flowers, because the-sweetness of its perfume is as charming as the variety of its colours; and the diversity of its forms is as wonderful as the magnificenco of the sizo of the members of some of its species. When, then, on Saturday afternoon, whilo members of our Expeditionary Forces, in uniform, resting. between hours of strenuous drill, walked with their friends, or in company with each other, and admired, studied, fed, played with, and remarked on the denizens of tho Zoo, it was very gratifying to promoters of .this onca despised, but now highly popular, institution to see ton of Wellington's up-to-date citizens tak9 off their coats, turn up their pants, and set to work to the grounds of the Zoo with some of the best varieties of roses obtainable. Surely tho significance of .this is worthy of remembrance. When Merchants and professional men and manual toilers go on their weekly halfholiday out to our public grounds and take ef coats_ and ton to work to make our institutions worthy 'df our State, is it not natural that our young men, inspired with such a spirit, should striko the world with wonder at their valour when they or die for an ' Empire which is its people's. A glorious,' though, purely accidental meeting was that of our kliaki-clad troopers and our uncbated citizon rose planters in Newtown Park last Saturday. If, as The Dominion suggests, some public bodies in England have suspended beautification schemes,.this is the time for our sedentary citizens to take off their coats, and plant roses, on public holidays, ' thus improving their health while beautifying our parks and inspiring our. young ynea with the prido that should' be an important factor in their motives 1 when fighting for tho defcnco of ennobling institutions. Rhodeiendrons and Azaleas. If our young troopers go to Franco tho.v will see a. land of roses, or if to England, in the right season, they will sos gardens aflame with the glories pf rhododendrons and azaleas. In England the rhododendron occupies a proud TjJace in the admiration of tho people, and the results that have been produced Hy tlao cultivation'of this ' magnificentflower aro delightful. A few years ago an eminent writer said: "Tho claim of tho gemis 'rhododendron' to admiration is testified to by the- fact that tho 'Botanical Magazine' figures illustrations of nearly 100 species, varieties, or hybrids, as being worthy of notice in its highly critical pages." Tho public spiritedness of Messrs. Remington, Foley, Read, Uerslako, Harland, Birch, Jeffrey, and the indefatigable secretary, Mr. Pearce, then, in inaugurating a new era in, the boriticultural adornment of WeEington with roses, rhododendrons, and azaleas cannot be too highly extolled or commended. Tho liberal heartedness of the Wellington Rose' and Carnation Club, which includes several of the leading citizous of Wellington, ladies and gentlemen,- and was ably represented on Saturday by the gentlemen whose names I have mentioned/ must also be a'cknowledgcd. By a kindly invitation receiv-i ed by me, as the seoretary of the Wellington Zoological Society, from tho secretary of the club, I was present at the inauguration of their 1 new movement; and was highly pleased with the fraternal, spirit they manifested. I was greatly gratified to notice also Mr. and Mrs. Frost in attendance. To work' with Mr. and Mrs. Frost and the many estimable ladies and gentlemen that compose the Wellington Roso and Carnation Club is a great pleasure, and I am sure that we aro all proud of what we did oh Saturday. Pigeon Fanciers. Sinco the Rose and Carnation Club 'came forward to help to. beautify tho grounds of the Zoo, some of the members of a society that is specially' iutercsted'in pigeons have been asking whether tliey could do anything to add to' the Zoo's attractions. There certainly is room for their suggestion, aud it ought to bo productive of desirable results. Valuable Additions. For a long time there has ibeen a fine, but solitary Sambur deer in the Zoo. Lately the Tourist Department of our Dominion Government has supplied a frno young female of the Sambur spccies to be a mate for him.. Another pair of those much-admired ' golden amlierst pheasants have just beeu purchased and presented to the Zoo by the Zoological Suoiety. They are young birds, and should help to brighten up tho pheasantry wbtsn they adorn themselves next season. Several pair of racing homer pigeons liavo also been presentedthrough the society by Mr. Foglia, of Welliugton.