NEW ZEALAND FLORA

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 6 September 1928, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND FLORA

LECTURE BY DR. HILL FINE HOLIDAY TRIP . (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 27th June. Dr. A. AY. Hill, Director of the Itoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, lectured before the Royal Horticultural Society last week and gave some interesting facts about New Zealand flora. Dr. A. B. Reiitlle, keeper of the Botanical Department, British Museum, occupied the chair. During Ida rapid but exhaustive tour of the Dominion, Dr. Hill took a large number of photographs and many of these were shown as slides. In introducing his subject, the lecturer spoke on the lines of an interview forwarded in a recent mail letter. He wont on to speak of and illustrate the native timber trees and smaller plants. Referring to an excellent view o£ Mount Egmont, he said this peak was as beautiful as the more famous Fuji Yania, of Japan. On its slopes was a forest wet and damp like a typical tropical forest. Indeed, there was very little difference in the general aspect of the New Zealand forest and that he saw afterwards in tropical .lava. Other slides illustrated the filmy ferns of Rangitoto, the rata, the mistletoe, and the kauri pine forests, and, again, ab a botanist, he rather deplored the failure to replant the slowgrowing native trees. Evidently Dr. .Hill's tour through Arthur's Pass and to the glaciers on the West Coast have left a deep impression on his mind. He was very enthusiastic about the white mountain flowers, and his photographs gave his audience a good idea of tho scenes. He advised his audience to make tho journey to New Zealand. It was well worth while, he said, to go and spend a holiday in that part of the world. Dr. Hill concluded his lecture by expressing his gratitude to all those in the Dominion who had arranged his tour and had been of help to him whilo he was in the country.