“FRIENDSHIP” SEEDS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28700, 25 September 1958, Page 9

“FRIENDSHIP” SEEDS

Japan And N.Z. Exchanges "The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND, September 24. Tree seeds . which were exchanged between New Zealand and Japanese school children as a token of friendship two or three years ago have been made to grow, according to an announcement in the Education Gazette. New Zealand sent kowhai seeds and the Japanese seeds of flowering cherry and ginkgo. A number of schools and also the Nelson Education Board have raised flowering cherry and ginkgo seedlings and the announcement says these show every sign of thriving. Congratulating the New Zealand schools on their success, the president of the Japanese society. Friends of the World, which organised the collection in Japan, says difficulty was experienced in germinating the New Zealand seeds in his country because of differences in topography and climate. However, after consultations with Tokyo Agricultural College, 70 kowhai seeds were germinated and the plants were now three to five inches high. The letter describes the kowhai seeds as being “a rare botanical species” in Japan . and expresses the hope that the trees “will stand for many years as symbols of peace and friendship between our peoples.”