HORTICULTURE.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10743, 14 November 1928, Page 7

HORTICULTURE.

POVERTY BAT INSTITUTE I DOMINION ORGANISER’S ADDRESS. ..' Many subjects of interest to orchardists were diseiussbd at a meeting of members of the Poverty Bay .Council'of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, which met the Dominion organiser, Mr. Geo. Green, at the Borough Council Chambers on Monday,evening. Mr. G. T. .'ta-moer presided’. Mr. Green said that there lied been much consolidation won* done by the Institute since the last time he had addressed a Gisborne .audience. The Horticultural Education Act had been passed, and ivas now law. This enabled the Institute to hold examinations and to grant certificates and diplomas to the successful students. The Educational ; Department _ had taken over the matter.: of providing iof the- theoretical instruction, of students in horticulture, and where-, ever there were ten students available' arrangements would be made for instructional classes; and an instructor; appointed. The matter of providing a. correspondence course for isolated students was. also under consideration. . Mr.' Green dealt with the valuable work that the Institute was.doing in the compilation of a judges’ register, which now made it possibe for judges’ conferences to be held. The matter of the establishment of national botanic garden? was being kept well to the- fore,:‘and he felt sure the committee appointed would result in definite action shortly. The work of securing various native bush areas as permanent reserves was receiving great attention. The Institute had brought before the public .and the State the value of the last Kauri bush in the world, that a Waipoua iii the north, and several were listed and an effort was being made for their reservation. One bf the most "important was the area? alongside the new road from 'Lake Waikaremoana to Galatea which was considered the coining leading scenic tourist road in the .North Island. He urged that the local council should combine with the Hawke’s Bay council in this and other matters which liad a great aesthetic and economic bearing on the development of the East Coast districts.

He urged that there should -be formed in. connection with and under the auspices of the local council, a native plant section and that one of its functions should be to stimulate in the local, bodies - and the public - a sentiment aii favor pf planting' native trees and shrubs, and the protection and regeneration of such areas as still remained and could be secured both publicly and privately as reserves. There were few districts where greater ranges of New Zealand native plants could be grown, ranging, from sub-tropical ones to those belonging to the. high sub-alpme areas. Votes of thanks to Mr. Green and to the chairman for presiding, and to the Borough. Council for the use of the chamber brought a.most interesting evening to a close. Mr. Green answered a number of questions bearing on the matters he had dealt with.