NATIVE TREES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23618, 30 March 1940, Page 8

NATIVE TREES

lINJEREST AMONG CHILDREN With a view to fostering interest in native trees and shrubs among schoolchildren, the Auckland Education Board, in common with other boards throughout New Zealand, has been paying attention to forestry work in schools in recent years. A special effort is being made this year to increase the children's knowledge in this branch of their work by a scheme for the propagation of native plants. In the past Arbor Day has been the one day of the year on which an opportunity has been given pupils to make a study of New Zealand plants. On occasion they visit bush, select at random a number of trees and shrubs and transplant them to the school grounds. It is now considered better to ' encourage the children to make every day an Arbor Day by having plantations at the schools, where they can make observations throughout the year. The majority of the schools in tho Auckland Province are taking part in the scheme. Chie of the best examples of/the work being donp is provided at the Waikokowhai School, near Huntly, where 400 different types of native trees and shrubs, totalling some thousands, are growing in the school plantation. This school has about 1700 plants of 53 varieties available for distribution amonc other schools.