PLANTS AND TREES FROM BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26857, 9 October 1952, Page 7

PLANTS AND TREES FROM BRITAIN

SELECTION MADE BY MR M. J. BARNETT Several hundred plants, trees and shrubs selected by the Director of Parks and Reserves (Mr M. J. Barnett) when he visited Britain, have arrived in Christchurch. They are being held in quarantine until it has been proved that they are free from disease, but Mr Barnett said yesterday that they had shown no signs of infection. They arrived in four consignments consisting of trees and shrubs, alpine plants, glasshouse plants, and new varieties of dahlias. The dahlias have been propagated during the winter and should be seen in the gardens this year. Mr Barnett said that all of the plants had arrived in good condition, but because of the incidence of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain they had been subject to certain restrictions. All soil had to be washed off them and some plants with fine hair-like roots had resented this treatment. A few alpine plants had died, said Mr Barnett. but it was realised that the measures taken were necessary to avoid the introduction of the disease into New Zealand. Mr Barnett said an order had been placed for special begonias from the Dyke of Norfolk’s estate, but because of foot-and-mouth disease the dispatch of the consignment had had to be held in abeyance.