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sideration, together with the fact that room was found for school buildings, teacher's residence, offices, play-ground, walks, grass, fences, &c, we thought that our three acres of second-class land compared very favourably with the scores of unprofitable acres all around. Wednesday, 19th July—Arbor Day—turned out a pouring wet day, so that no organized demonstration could take place. But on the following day many of the children told us that they had turned out in the rain and obtained such trees as they could, and planted them in places where they could care for them. The most interesting episode, in our judgment, was the report brought by Miss Edith Capper's class of preparatories—all very small children. They told her with enthusiasm that, in spite of the heavy rain, they went out and searched for and found trees, such as peach-trees, acacias, pines, &c, and had planted them near their dwellings, fencing them in, and begged her to come and see them. The other day several old boys—some of them married—came to me with money to make arrangements to send orders to Auckland for the purchase of fruit-trees, which they intend planting and caring for. Several of the old people have also planted trees. You will thus see that, although more might have been done, something, however little, has been accomplished, and Arbor Day, although a wet one, has been in some measure presented as an embodiment of a desirable principle before the minds of young and old.

Prom Mr. E. W. D. Matthews, Parapara, Mangonui. I enclose a rough diagram of this place, that you may form some idea of what we did on Arbor Day. I asked Piri Eaiti *to come and assist me to draw up a programme, and help to carry it through. He came at once, as he always does. The children were formed in two lines —boys in one, girls in the other. Then they marched from the schoolhouse to the west fence, thence round south fence through the gate of housepaddock, on to the verandah of cottage, and formed in four lines—the smallest in front, the tallest behind. Piri Eaiti then addressed them, telling them that five years ago this place was all high tea-tree, and no clear spot was to be seen ; it was all clear and tidy now, and what we were going to do was to still further improve the appearance of the school. The greatest enthusiasm prevailed ; the children were beaming and anxious to set to work. Every child had a tree ; but Piri Raiti helped the little ones to plant theirs. On the south side of the cottage there are one hoihere, one totara, eighteen karakas planted; on the west side, eight macrocarpa, six peaches, three lemons, three taraires, one totara, nine karakas; on north side, six karakas, eight peaches, four lemons, two hoihere ; on east side, twenty karakas, four lemons, two kohukohu, four taraire. I have promised the children to replace these trees with macrocarpa if they die.

From Mr. A. E. Welsh, Peria, Mangonui. Arboe Day was duly observed on the 19th July. The day was a very wet one, and as a consequence not many children attended for the purpose of planting. The Committee were in Mangonui, attending a sitting of the Land Court. Nevertheless, those children who did attend brought one or more native trees and shrubs, which, in spite of the heavy downpour of rain, were planted. Some five or six young totaras, of varying size, also some ten or twelve tanekaha, five or six rimu, and about the same number of kauri, and a number of shrubs and willow-cuttings—these were all brought and planted by the children. At the time of writing they look as if they will live. My family and myself planted in the garden a large number of fruit-trees, including plums, peach, apple, oranges, quince, gooseberries, and raspberries. A number, of these were obtained from Auckland, and some have been grown locally. Altogether the interest taken in the planting by the children was very encouraging, and they seemed to fully grasp the reasons.

Prom Mrs. Tennekt, Te Pupuke, Whangaroa. The children of this school engaged with great heartiness in the work of planting trees on Arbor Day. A number of them went to'the bush and procured an assortment of native trees, which they planted in the school-ground. I thought it well to let each child have a tree, to encourage them to attend to them through the summer. The ground is poor, but it is hoped that some of them, at least, will grow.

From Mr. J. Pateick, Whangaruru, North Auckland. I have to report that to-day I received sufficient assistance from some of the scholars of this school and a neighbour to enable me to get about forty native trees planted out along the boundaryfence of the school reserve. I have not yet received any ornamental or medicinal shrubs from the Department. If Idoso I shall plant them out properly.

Prom Mr. T. J. Danahee, Motukaraka, Hokianga. I explained the meaning of your circular and the significance of the day to both the children and the Chairman and Committee, and appointed a meeting. I had some macrocarpa, peach, and plum-trees ready for planting, and I prepared a very practical lesson in planting and grafting fruit-trees ; but the rain came down so heavily last night and all the forenoon that none of the elders came. I gave the children some blackboard lessons in grafting and planting : they seemed to grasp them fairly well. The soil here, being a heavy clay, is not fit to handle in such weather as this.

* An enthusiastic supporter of the school, and for many years Chairman of the Committee.

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