HORTICULTURE IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22464, 27 July 1938, Page 16

HORTICULTURE IN AUSTRALIA

♦ VIEWS FORMED ON EXCHANGE VISIT MEMBER OF BOTANIC GARDENS STAFF RETURNS The opinion that the Christchurch Botanic Gardens were better than any other gardens in Australia and New Zealand was expressed yesterday by Mr I. Harvey, of the staff of the Botanic Gardens, who has returned after spending about a year and eight months working in Melbourne under an exchange system.* While.he was away he visited the public gardens in the mair cities in Australia, and his experience of these and the public gardens in New

Zealand centres has led him to torn this opinion. JVIr Harvey worked in the.Fitzrbj Gardens and the Botanic Gardens ir Melbourne, and also spent some time at the Bernley Horticultural School Although there was an annual gran' made by the City Council in Mel bourne of £86,000 for horticulture work, he said, there seemed to be very little to show for it. The house foi exotic plants at the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne was little larger thar the Townend house in Christchurch there was nothing nearly as large as the Cuningham house. Melbourne, however, was more aliv< to the need for beautifying the streets than Christchurch, and the planting o: trees was carried out on a large scale Some of the larger private gardens were very fine, and many of them hac large collections of plants, but the gar dens of working people were not s< well kept as in Christchurch. Mr Harvey did not consider that thi training at the Bernley Horticulture School was completely satisfactory mainly because it did not extend ove a long enough period. The younge members of the staffs of the publi gardens, moreover, did not appear t

ike their work very seriously or to ave a real interest in ■ horticulture, ffiich he did not think:, occupied such n advanced position - as it did in New .caland. Rose gardens were not common in lelbourne, he said, although there re re large nurseries raising roses for xport to New Zealand. The difficulty 3 be faced was the heat, which preented roses from lasting. The Christhurch rose garden he considered, was ir better than any in Australia. Mr Harvey said that it had been a ery valuable experience to go to Ausralia, and expressed his thanks to the Ihristchurch Domains Board and the urator of the gardens (Mr J. A. Mc•herson) for the opportunity which ad been given him.