AN OLD GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 84, 10 April 1933, Page 9

AN OLD GARDEN.

ISLAND PLANTATION.

STRANGE TWEES AT KAWAU.

IDBIfTIXICATIOir BY EXPERTS,

While most-Auckiandcrs. were quietly reading in their homes yesterday afternoon, to the accompaniment of the drumming of.rain against the window panes, a' party of ten m embers of ;the Auckland Council of tne New,-Zealand Institute of Horticulture were inspecting the plantings'made many, years.ago by Sir George Grey at Kawau Island. It, *as a'.miserable afternoon—-but the ( horticulturists found much in the dripping, tree* and shrubs to interest them. . - Time .was. when Sir George Grev emploved'six gardeners to take care ol his;-property, and a survey made of the planting'6o years ago revealed the fact th4t there were no fewer than -500 distinct "species of indigenous and introduced plants. Just how,;many of the collection now' remain a could only be ascertained: by a detailed inspection of the plantations. " One result of the visit paid to the inland 'yesterday was -to identify- a strange cone; of the shape of a football and covered with spikes, which was picked up by a recent visitor to Kawau, and forwarded to the institute for identification. The cone was identified as laving come from the Araucaria bidwilli, or Moreton Bav pine, which grows to a'height of 150 feet. The bole.of this tree is extremely even, and from all ; appearances would" be -suitable for timber purposes, -.as is One of its relatives, the Norfolk pine. .-"■•• '••'„, The. Poorman Orange, As the Auckland branch the institute,; on the- occasion of the recent first • 'meeting of- the Waitangi Trust Board, offered two young Kemp orange tide's- and" two trees of the Morrison seedless strain of New Zealand grapefruit, often known as the Poorman orange, for planting" on the historic spot on-which the. Dominion's Magna Charta was '-. signed, j .the .party . which visited Kawau -particularly .in-

terested to ascertain what citrus trees, if any, were still to be found in the plantations. Actually the only citrus seen was a mandarin tree. The original tree from which the Poorman orange sprung came from Sir George Grey's island garden. Originally, it is believed, it was brought from India. The wellknown New Zealand pomologist, Mr. ! Edward Morrison, of Mount Eden, who, I although he is now 83 years of age,, headed yesterday's party, first visited Kawau when he was ten years of age. On that occasion, he remembers,. Sir George showed him and his father the orange tree and also gave, them fruit and bud wood. From those buds the seedless type of fruit developed. The buds from which the trees presented to the Waitangi Trust Board were grown were taken from the property of Mr. Morrison's grandson, a son of Mr. Edward Morrison, of Warkworth. A trial shipment of the New Zealand grapefruit was made to London last year. Many Fine Specimens. According to Mr. V.. Thomas, who was one of the party which visited Kawau yesterday, there. are to-day a number of very fine specimens in the plantations. A number of them are named, but there are many others which are unknown to all but the experts. In some instances rare specimens are in danger of being smothered by more vigorous growing plants. The party, for instance, came across two specimens of gardenia, often mentioned by Victorian novelists, badly overgrown by privet. It,'is realised, however, that considerable work and expense would be necessary to restore the plantations to anything like the condition they enjoyed during the lifetime of Sir George' Grey.

On the front lawn at Mansion House Bay is a specimen of the variety of " banana" palm from which Manila hemp is made. It has been noted with satisfaction by the experts that the present proprietors of the property have seen to it that' none of the rare specimens has been ruthlessly cut down.

. For the experts, the three hours spent at j Kawau yesterday passed all too quickly. Owing to the rain they were abler tg inspect only the specimens planted in open ground or along the tracks, but even so they saw more than enough to convince them that the plantations still contain much that entities the island to a warm, place in the heart of the horticulturist.