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Hokitika Guardian, 11 July 1918, Page 2

Hki’kkkntk Inis boon made lately to the* mussing of Finnish and German troops to threaten the Murman raihvay. »So long as Russia is helpless and comparatively quiet, it. is doubtful, if the enemy have much to gain by an attack upon the Murman Railway which would bo a provocative action, Calculated to rouse the to resistance. But if the counter-revolutionary movement gathers force, and there is danger of Russia again taking an active part on the side of the Allies, it will he their obvious policy to cut off all assistance from the Allies by way of the railway from the north. It. communicates with Russia's only ice-free port in the west. It is double-tracked, and properly administered, would be capable of pouring in a flood of munitions for the use of the Russians. Perhaps the 0001113* have no immediate intention of raiding the line, but are making preparations against the necessity of doing so in tho future. The difficulties of the enterprise are not small. At the nearest point- the Finnish frontier is loss than 100 miles from the railway where it passes along the western edge of Lake Onega; but the nearest railway line, that which runs north from Viborg on the Gulf of Finland to Yoensun, is nearly 100 miles distant. 'The intervening country is a maze of swamps, lakes, forest, and js without roads. It. swarms with mosquitoes in summer, is frozen hard during the winter. Tin? natural line of advance, of the enemy, unless tiny decided io cut the line at Retrograd itself, would be from tho Yoensun Railway by the north of Lake Ladoga, to the western shore of Lake Onego, The proper reply of the Russians is either to paralyse the enterprise by an advance from Petrograd upon Viborg, thus cutting the communications of the enemy’s force or else send troops from Petrograd by the Murman Railway itself to Lake Onega. The latter course would enable the Russians, with good railway communication behind them, to fight the enemy to the best advantage when they emerged' from the wilderness-.

IN the emirse of ail address given at Dunedin oh native, plants, the Hon G. M. Thomson MiL.Ck, said it was characteristic of all hew country that very few plants were selected from the native flora wheri cultivation was taken.in hand, lit Australia there were some 8000 known plants, very few of which were cultivated. Tn Britain there were 13-10 native plants, 218 of which were cultivated, or one-sixth of the whole flora. In New Zealand there were many native plants which would grow well in gardens. Nearly all the native plants in the dominion were evergreen, the deciduous ones could he counted on the Angers of one’s hand. The fuschia and mnkomuko wpre the principal leafloss trees in this part. In Britain it was quite the reverse, nearly all the native trees there being deciduous. He attributed this to the ieo sheets to which the Northern .Hemisphere was subjected at an early period. During this glacial period the trees and plants lost their foliage, and have retained that; habit. It was a notablo fact that in New Zealand a great many native plants have succulent fruits. This he attributed to the introduction of fruit-eating birds. Tii Britain, out ol‘ 13-10 plants, just 67 bore succulent fruits. In New Zealand, out of 1390 plants; 227 boro succulent fruits, which, as far as he knew, was the largest percentage of succulent fruit trees in any part of the globe. Another interesting feature concerning our flora, was that there were apparently many plants which wore subjected to prolonged periods of drought. These plants had quite a thick cuticle, which enabled them to withstand droughts. The colouring of flowering plants in New Zealand, too, was a noted features. It. was colour which attracted, but there were very few highly coloured plants in the dominion. Most of them were white or yellow, reds and blues being very scarce. Tn the dominion we have very Jew'

flower visitors. Apart from the ordin- j ary bee, there was a little native bee— J n very bus\* little fellow—which burrowed in roads, paths, and other hard ground. Referring to the common lawyer, many people thought that the reason it had pricks was to tear one’s clothes. Its jags were to assist it to climb. Regarding the manuka, the large variety grew in Australia, na well as New Zealand, but the small variety was confined to the dominion.