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profit, whether in satin, paper, fodder, or fuel, as the produce of waste lands unsuited for other crops. G. Mason.

No. 3. Extbact from Foeest Committee's Annual Kepokt, on Foeest Nueseey, County of Lake. Gentlemen, — Pembroke, 23rd May, 1884. I have the honour to submit for your consideration the annual report of the Forest Committee. During the year 1883, 25,500 seedling tree-pMlts were removed from the seed-beds into nurserylines. They consist of—Pinus insignis, Pinus muricata, Pinus tuberculata, Pinus maritirna, Pinus austriaca, Pinus sabiniana, Cupressus macrocarpa, Cupressus lawsoniana, Wellingtonia gigantea, Abies douglassaii, Norway spruce, ash, sycamore. In shifting them from the seed-beds a loss of 2 per cent, was sustained. They now range in height from Ift. to 4ft., and are in excellent condition for distributing and permanently planting out. Thirty thousand two-year-old quicks once transplanted, and a hundred thousand still in the seed-beds, are also ready for distribution ; five acres of the reserve were planted permanently, and seven have been ploughed preparatory to being planted. This latter area, when finished, will complete the fenced portion (twenty-five acres) of the reserve, and enable the Council to claim, under the Tree-Planting Act, a hundred acres of Crown land. The Committee suggest that as soon as possible this step be taken, and the proceeds accruing from such property devoted to the spread of forestry. The se^ed-beds contain 18,000 seedling tree-plants, which will be transplanted during the present year. Acting upon the resolution passed by your Council last year, tree-plants were then offered gratis to all the school and church committees, municipal bodies, hospitals, and police authorities in the county, as well as to similar establishments in Vincent County, extending as far as Naseby. To Inspector Hickson, of the Constabulary Department, Clyde, great credit is due for the attention bestowed upon plants supplied to the several stations under his supervision. Police Sergeants McLeod, of Cromwell, and Brown, of Arrow, have been exceptionally successful in their treatment of plants allotted to their establishments, and are consequently worthy of the highest praise, in their case the loss being about 4 per cent. only. Taking together the Police departments of Arrow, Cromwell, Clyde, Ophir, St. Bathan's, and Naseby the loss has been under 10 per cent. This result clearly demonstrates the fact that, where reasonable care is bestowed, plants grown in the interior may be removed a hundred miles or more, and, by such tardy locomotion as that afforded by drays and wagons, with a loss, if any, merely nominal. The church, school, and hospital management ranging over the same territory—Queenstown to Naseby—have not been so successful. This, in my opinion, is to be attributed in a great measure to a want of sympathy with the efforts being made to enrich and beautify their properties and districts in so far as trees can do so. Your decision to again place upon the free list the many public bodies and departments alluded to is most commendable. On this subject of tree-growing the public mind certainly requires educating, and I take leave to think that, through them, and under existing circumstances, no better machinery for that purpose is at present available. The expenditure for the year has been— £ s. d. Curator's wages ... ... ... ... 140 17 0 Contracts for clearing, ploughing, and transplanting ... 65 15 8 Seeds ... ... ... ... ... 11 6 9 Packing material, tools, fencing, &c. ... ... ... 29 13 10 Advertising ... ... ... ... ... 800 Total ... .:. "... ..'. £255 13 3 The receipts have been— ... ... ... £ s. d. Sale of trees ... ... ... ... 31 11 3 Government grant ... ... ... 100 0 0 131 11 3 Deficiency ... ... £124 2 0 The balance is unfortunately against you: the excellent services, however, rendered to the State in your prosecution of this most useful and necessary work should honestly justify your appeal to Government for a subsidy of, say, £150, for the year 1884-85, out of the vote for the encouragement of tree-planting. In this institution you now have the materials for primarily stocking the several forest reserves in the interior of Otago recently proclaimed by the Government; and I beg to suggest that you advise the Minister of Lands that you are now prepared to supply, gratis, such tree-plants as are at your disposal, with the view of their forming the nucleixs of forests to clothe the reserves last mentioned, thereby converting them into a living reality. I have, &c, EOBEET McDoUGALL, The Lake County Council. Chairman, Forest Committee.

No. 4. Hot Speings, Hanmbe Plains. 28th May, 1884. It is only within late years that the hot springs at Hanmer Plains ,have become generally known as a bathing place for invalids suffering from rheumatic complaints and skin diseases; and even now 2—C. 1.