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worked in them during a short twenty years. If, then, conservation be followed up on systematic lines, the replanting of kauri must of necessity form an important feature of forest reform. There is no necessity to spend money rashly —a few experimental plantations, not necessarily costly, could be started in places named, and. other suitable localities. At the same time, care must be taken that forest trees are not planted in uncongenial soil, or in positions antagonistic to their natural habitat; and in order to effect this it is necessary to study the various trees as they grow in the forest naturally, and note their surroundings—the soil, position of forest as regards shelter or exposure, altitude, and aspect. When these are determined, apply all such conditions to the plantations so far as is possible. This is the true secret of the forester's art, and success must attend intelligent work of this nature. In conclusion, the work of replanting the kauri should be made a national undertaking. Just as the Government of France took in hand the reboisement of the Alps (Cevennes) of that country, so New Zealand should now awaken, and by vigorous action reforest the worked-out gum-lands of Auckland, and so cause the bare bleak lands to again flourish in forest flora with the tree which has done so much to enrich New Zealand, so that future generations yet unborn may live to see the noble kauri flourish and become a blessing instead of a mere remembrance. THE MAINTENANCE AND PEOTECTION OP POPULAE TOUEIST EESOETS. The " beauty spots " of New Zealand are so many that it would be impossible to refer to them all in the brief space at my disposal. It is, however, a matter of so much public interest that I should like to mention the most beautiful and popular of those in both islands, and suggest in general terms what I think should be done to preserve for all time these natural glories of the New Zealand Wonderland. Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds, for instance, at once arrest the attention of a visitor by their picturesque and graceful surroundings. The former —lovely sheet of tranquil water, bounded by hills of no great altitude, yet here bold and abrupt, there sloping gently to the water's edge, with every variety of artistic contour and fascinating outline, which serve as an emerald setting to the bright shining water —is one of the most charming bits of scenery it is possible to conceive. Yet this picture is blurred already by signs of fire in the scarred summits and slopes of the serried ranges, and without doubt, unless guarded against, fire will in course of time rob this delightful scene of its natural beauty. In the Pelorus Valley the progress of settlement is rapidly changing the wild fierce solitude of the deep blue hills, so that unless reservation of the State forests are made on a large scale, and stringent regulations enforced to protect them, the present weird grandeur of the Pelorus Sound views will be destroyed, and with it all the detailed charms of forest-clad hills and fairy dells, of fern gullies and shady glens—victims alike to that scourge of the forest, fire. Conservation of such spots should be undertaken by the Government, as well from the point of view of maintaining a supply of timber as from an aesthetic standpoint, seeing that this latter has also a commercial aspect which cannot be ignored. Supposing such " beauty spots " are robbed of their attraction, charred and blackened stumps substituted for the setting of forest that lends charm and character to the scene, they must cease to induce, as now they do, tourists from all parts of the world to spend money in the colony in order to gratify artistic tastes by seeing the natural beauties of a picturesque country unfolded before their admiring eyes. Thus a source of revenue must be lost to the colony ;so that even in this direction judicious expenditure is a mere matter of business foresight and prudence. It w r ould surely be a disgrace to New Zealand if such jewels as these inland seas, with their present superb forestal environment, were permitted, through neglect or wilful misuse, to be diverted from the purposes for which Nature has evidently intended them—at once valuable sources' of timber-supply, and tourist resorts—and laid waste by fire, which can be guarded against, or by settlement, for which other more suitable and profitable localities are available. Though I had no opportunity of visiting Milford and other Sounds, these remarks apply equally to them. Then, the lakes —Kanieri, Mahinapua, Pearson, and Wakatipu in the South; Taupo, Eotorua, Tarawera, Eotomahana, Eoto-iti, and others of the volcanic region in the North Island. What "beauty spots" are found in all of these localities! Lake Wakatipu, and the northern lakes of Eotorua, Tarawera, and others, on account of railway communication, are perhaps the best known of New Zealand waters. In length sixty-three miles, with an average width of from four to six miles, on every side of Wakatipu ranges rise abruptly, with snow-clad peaks, to 3,000 ft. and 4,000 ft. In winter, especially, the lofty mountain-tops, scarred rocks, and steep precipices, in their white mantle of snow, present a scene of indescribable magnificence and grandeur; yet in summer the bare rocks and bald hills, destitute of forest vegetation, if still grand, look dreary and desolate. Some steps have indeed been taken by the Government to reforest these hills, but the work was not carried out systematically. lam informed, moreover, that the slopes of the mountains down to the water's edge were once covered with a fine forest of beech, but here again the fire fiend was introduced at the instance of the squatter and prospector, or the passing traveller lit his fire and left it to spread at will; and thus the forest scenery of Lake Wakatipu is represented only by a memory of what has been. It is, of course, possible, and certainly desirable, to reforest the country and give back its pristine beauty to this even now unrivalled lake scenery, but it will, of course, entail heavy expense. European tourists are, as a rule, satiated with the more artificial beauties of older centres of civilisation, and hence the rugged, forest-clad mountains and the wild grandeur of the Lakes, the sublime scenery of the Sounds, the dangers of Mount Cook, and the wonders of the Hot Springs have for them the attraction of novelty. Such attractions as these, too, and others that New Zealand possesses, are such as no old tourist-resort in more civilised countries can boast.