ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5999, 8 February 1881, Page 3

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

rHE monthly meeting of the Council of the ibove society was held yesterday at 2 o'clock in the Museum Buildings. Present: Mr. R. C. Barstow (in the chair), Messrs. R. Hobbs, B. Ireland, TV. J. Palmer, J. A. Pond, and — Bull. The minutes of the Former meeting were read and confirmed, ifter which the lollowing business was transited :— Finance.—The Secretary read the financial statement, which showed that since last neetiug, including the balance in bank, the receipts >vere £-219 lCs Gd. The expenditure eft a credit balance of £126 9s 9d. State of the Gardens.—At the last neeting of the Council a committee was ippointed to inquire into the state of the society's gardens, about which complaints iad been made. The formal report was orought up, but the Chairman said as le had been the principal cause of the nquiry being made, he would verbally state .vhat was done and what the committee say. iVhen the committee visited the gardens lie .vas pleased to see that the gardens were n a. far better condition than when he asited them previously. The committee earned that the curator was labouring under i difficulty with the men employed in the ;ardens, and it was resolved that he should lave the sole chaive of the gardens under the :ommittee, and be responsible to the comnittee for their condition. To enable him ;o do so it was but right that he should have iill control over the hands employed in the gardens, and that he had the power to employ what labour he required subject to the vpproval of the committee. The men were nformed of tliis arrangement, as some of ;hem were longer in the employ of the society ;han the curator, and lie believed that for the iiture the gardens would show an improve nent ; but at any rate the curator would be •esponsible for their condition, and if he did lot keep them properly, the garden comnittee could dispense with his services.— Mr. Ireland, one of the garden committee, itated that the Chairman had substantially ;old the Council what the special committee iad done. After having come to an agreenent with the curator, the men were called ogether, and told distinctly the new relaious they held to the curator, so that there hould be no appearance of divided authority, le had no doubt now that they knew the urator had the power of discharging them nd engaging others who would obey, and 10 what the curator required of them.— Jr. Palmer said he had been at the ;ardens yesterday, and he never saw them ooking better than they did. The curator iad complained to him several times of the lehaviour of the men, but as they had been anger there than he had, he did not like to lake a formal complaint to the Secretary. ?he subject then dropped. Game.—The Chairman drew attention to he necessity of sending the recommendation o the Government in respect of the native ame, and the close season. Some conversaion ensued respecting the native curlew, nd Mr. Palmer suggested that that bird liould be struck out of the schedule for ative game. The bird was in the best f condition now, but its best condition ad passed when the ordinary close season ame on. It was also a migratory bird, and hanged place according to the season. — 'he Chairman asked where they bred. He ad never heard of an egg of these birds eing found.—Mr. Bull admitted that they ,'ere now in a plump and fine condition, but bought they were wrongly named.—After ome further conversation, Mr. Bull prooscd, " That the curlew be exempted from he operation of the fifth schedule of the Let."—Mr. Ireland seconded, and the moion was carried unanimously—On the notion of Mr. Ireland, it was agreed that he season for native game remain as before. —Ttie Chairman then drew attention to the chedule for imported game. Last year nd the year before hares had been exluded so far as the Province of Auckland was concerned. Did the Council gree that hares were to be game ? —Mr. Jull: I hope not, for they are a nuisance lready, and soon will be a terrible scourge. -Mr. Ireland said the hare should be exerminated from the face of the earth.—Mr. Still said in the course of a few years it would rove to be the greatest pest ever brought o the Waikato and other districts.—Mr. tarstow said the rabbits were a greater curse o the settlers.—Mr. Bull said the hai'es rould be a greater curse in the course of a few ears. —It was agreed to recommend that the ares be not protected in the province of Lucklaud, and that the open season be the ime as last year. Blackbirds.—The Secretary reported that number of blackbirds had been sent to lelbourne to the Zoological Society there, ut no answer had yet been received. Deer.—The Chairman read a letter which e had received from Mr. R. Carter, Waikato, tating that for some time past a very quiet tag had been grazing in his paddocks, and sking if the society could send up a doe to e a mate to him.—-After some conversation, ; was agreed that the stag in question would e one of the Virginian deer liberated some ears ago, and the Secretary was instructed ) write to Mr. Carter, informing him that here were no does to send. Deer Paddock.—Mr. Palmer drew attrition to the present empty paddock in the ardeus formerly occupied by the deer. He 'anted to know whether it was to be tilised in any way. There was more room equired, and the use of it would supply that oom.-—The Chairman said they would need 11 the room that it afforded for the growth f apple trees—Mr. Palmer thought some ttention should be paid to the citron tribe. L number of varieties should be got, and their ehaviour in our climate watched.—ln reply 0 a question about the quality of the soil, Mr. 'aimer said the soil was not bad, if care 'ere taken in trenching it not to turn to the nrface the sub-soil. — The Chairman lid the Lisbon lemon did excellently ere, and so freely did it grow that e thought there should be no need of nportations of that fruit. Shaddock also id well. He had seen some excellent fruit 1 Mr. Keals's.—Mr. Palmer said there were lany varieties that could be introduced, and 3e what was suitable for the climate. —The Ihairman said the surest way of getting trees lirly adapted to the climate was to sow pips. l few years ago he had planted five orange ips, and they all grew. One of the trees •as now o feet high.—Mr. Palmer said seedngs were very shy bearers. They should be 'orked on other stock to make them bear irly.—The Chairman referred to some range trees which had been grown from 3ed in the Hokianga district by Mrs. ilendon that had come into bearing, le believed they were IS years old, ut the oranges were very good. —Mr. 'aimer : Had grafts been taken oft" them 16 ears ago and worked on other stocks, they ould probably have been bearing fruit 12 ears ago.—The Chairman said the method f working he had adopted was inarching.— fr. Palmer said they grew freely from grafts [• buds. There was no difficulty in multilying orange trees. —Mr, Pond drew attenon to the true objects of an acclimatisation u'den, and said the garden hitherto had 2en misapplied. Instead of devoting the me to flowers, let them devote their lergies to that which would be of se to the country. They should do .vay with the horticultural departient, and make it a botanic garden, garden where they could introduce and rove the trees and plants that would be of se in the country.- By doing away with le flowers much labour would be saved, and

j such cause of grumbling avoided. They" would also save the wages of taking the fees at the gate, and the revenue of the society could be devoted to what it should be, the purposes of true acclimatisation.—The Chairman agreed with Mr. Pond, who expressed his view of the matter. He had long advocated more attention being devoted to economic botany. The efforts they had hitherto made were fitful. They had introduced a few acers from America, but thev had not done much in that way. He did not chink however, that the gate monev should be. done away with. They should "work upon a system and not in a hap-hazard wav. One year they should devote their revenue to the introduction of seeds and plants, next to fish next to birds, and so ou. He would like to see the Aew Zealand trees propagated in the gardeus, as many of them were becoming extinct.—Mr. Pond thought if thoy were to put off a decision on the point it would go on as it had gone last year, and nothing of a practical nature be done. As to rTsh, he thonght the fish hatching-house should be removed to Henderson's Mill. The creek there was admirably adapted for trout. He had visited it recently, and knew of what he spoke. Much of the loss they had sustained arose from the fact of the fish being hatched in one place, carried when young to another, and put into a different water." If the fish operations were carried on in Henderson's Mill creek the whole of the upper part of the Waitemata, would be stocked with trout in a few years —Mr. Hobbs said fees were charged at all the other gardens of a similar character in the colony. Not to collect the gate fees would reduce their revenue. In former years they had introduced seeds and distributed them.—Mr. Pond said if the society had grown the seeds and distributed the plants more success would have attended , their efforts.—The subject then dropped. American Brook Trout.—On the motion of Mr. Bull, a sum of £25 was voted for the introduction of a supply of brook trout ova. . from San Francisco. Accounts.—The working accounts were passed and ordered to be paid. Cam-.— Mr. Hobbs drew attention to the new kind of carp that Mr. Justice Gillies had seen when in America, introduced, he believed, from Austria, and asked if any information had been obtained respecting them. —The Secretary was instructed* to make the enquiries. The meeting then separated.