BOTANY CIRCLE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 24, 28 July 1934, Page 7

BOTANY CIRCLE

TRAMPERS' FIELD WORK

MAKING SPECIES KNOWN

Last evening Miss Neumann, instructress of the Botany Circle of the Tararua Tramping Club, was presented by me«bers with a bound copy of essays covering various expeditions of the circle under her leadership. The presentation was made by Mr. L. D. Hoggett. The essays, - written by individual students of the circls. covered trips to sundry interesting localities, from Eimutaka to Miramar. Last evening the circle also held its second annual examination.

A glance at the examination paper gives some idea of the circle's work. The paper comprises ten questions. One question requires of the student "a fairly full description" of the myrtles. The myrtles comprise four families, one of which includes the ratas and the pohutukawa, and another includes maire. Another question -requires "a list of native shrubs, commonly used for hedges"—which is practical as well as scientific. Perns, "plant associations," New Zealand conifers, and definition of technical terms also figure in the examination paper. Students are required to collect specimens in the field. The paper shows that the students are securing a sound elementary knowledge which many a bushlover who has tramped and observed for years (but who has not been grounded in the botanic fundamentals) would envy them. The work is of importance as helping to spread the plant-consciousness ivat finds one of its expressions in Arbor Day. Botany is a natural sideline of tramping, and has a logical place in a tramping club's auxiliary activities.

The essays are of a broad nature interest "as well as of botanic interest. At Butterfly Creek one lady found "a perfectly happy bush of Olearia Solandri in a little sunny glade"—which was "a strange discovery," and the plant "must have wandered up from the sea1 ou a stormy night. . < . Zoologically speaking,* the most exciting find was a pool of brown blu"nt-headed native trout. They lurked most beautifully among some decaying logs submerged in a very shining calm stretch, of river." Mrs. M. Martin notes how easy it is to confuse species, and writes: "When the collection of 'doubles' is established at the Plant Museuni (Wilton's Bush) all these easily confused species will be grown in pairs, and will be well labelled so that students may see the differences as well as, the likenesses." ' ";.'-.