EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN BOARD, 1876-77.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1877 Session I, H-25

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1877. NEW ZEALAND.

EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN BOARD, 1876-77.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Dueing the past year meetings of the Board were held on the 19th September, 19th October, 19th December, 1876, and on 17th May, and 9th July, 1877. The only new work undertaken in the gardens has been the subdivision of the domain by brush fences, at a cost of £17 14s. 2d., with the view of introducing a few sheep to feed down the rough herbage, and form a smooth sward in places where the scythe cannot be used. The chief expenditure for labour has been in repairing the paths and removing several landslips which occurred owing to the sudden rain of February last, coming after an unusually long period of draught. The selection and packing of plants for distribution, and especially the preparation of twenty-four Wardian cases, which were despatched to Kew in January last, involved a large amount of extra labour. The nursery-ground has been put in thorough order by trenching and draining, and a fresh set of seedling beds prepared for raising the large consignment of Californian seeds obtained by Government. One-half of this seed was sown in March last with indifferent success, owing to the unusual severity of the winter, but the rest of the seed, which is now about to be sown, will, it is hoped, afford a large supply of young trees for future distribution. The chief planting within the gardens during the past season has been to replace trees which were lost through various causes. The number of trees distributed by gift was 2,574, and to applicants 500 plants have been sold. Ten years have now elapsed since the formation of the Botanic Garden was commenced by the Colonial Government, and eight years since it was placed under the management of the present Board. As last year the usual vote was disallowed by the Legislature, and the gardens may probably in future have to depend on other sources of revenue, a recapitulation of the work done and the expense incurred since the establishment of the domain may not be out of place. The area at first was in September, 1869, 13 acres ; to this was added in October, 1869, 46 acres ; in 1872, 21 acres; and in 1874, 10 acres. The total area of the gardens now fenced in is 90 acres, as shown on the accompanying plan. Within this area there are 244 chains of paths, and 50 permanent seats. Two separate systems of water supply have been applied for the use of the nursery-grounds ; 9,557 trees have been planted out. Experimental culture of phormium and other plants has been successfully conducted by direction of Committees of the Legislature. JN'ursery-grounds have been formed, in which 22,231 Oonifercd and other trees have been raised from seed, and 7,048 distributed on application throughout the colony. Repayments on account of these, amount to £85 14s. (jd. 24,132 young trees have been received from Government correspondents on account of the Forest Department, and have been reared at the expense of the Board. The cases that these plants arrived in have been filled with native plants and returned as exchanges, the expense of which has also been defrayed by the Board.

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Botanic Garden Boaed. The following Schedule gives the total classified Receipts and Expenditure of the Board from 1869 to 1877:— Receipts. Expenditure. From Trustees, — £ s. d. £ s. d. Fencing, — £ a. d. £ c. d. 1869-70 180 16 3 1869-70 112 8 1 1870-71 120 0 0 1870-71 37 13 0 1872-73 ... ... 109 19 2 1874-75 ... ... 120 2 3 410 15 5 1876-77 ... ... 17 14 2 Votes by Parliament, — 287 17 6 1870-71 ... ... 300 0 0 Paths,— 1871-72 ... ... 300 0 0 1870-71 ... ... 67 7 0 1872-73 .. ... 300 0 0 1871-72 ... ... 7 0 0 1873-74 ... ... 300 0 0 1874-75 ... ... 29 4 4 1874-75 ... ... 300 0 0 103 11 4 1875-76 ... ... 300 0 0 Buildings,— 1,800 0 0 1870-71 ... ... 45 0 0 Votes ly Provincial Council,— 1872-73 ... ... 17 7 6 1874-75 ... ... 300 0 0 1875-76 ... ... 123 10 0 1876-77 ... ... 300 0 0 185 17 6 600 0 0 Nursery,— Grant in Aid of Flax from 1869-70 ... ... 10 8 10 Commissioners, 1870-71 50 0 0 1870-71 ... ... 55 3 4 Grant from Wellington Philo- 1871-72 ... ... 33 18 6 sophical Society, 1870-71 50 0 0 1875-76 ... ... 35 3 0 City Reserve Rents,— ■ 134 13 8 1873 ... ... ... 93 9 0 Purchase of Plants, Seeds, %c — 1874 ... ... ... 93 9 0 1870-71 ... ... 117 15 2 1875 ... ... ... 93 9 O 1871-72 ... ... 37 1 0 1876 ... ... ... 93 9 0 1872-73 ... ... 42 18 0 1877 ... ... ... 93 9 0 1873-74 ... ... 23 1 7 467 5 0 1874-75 ... ... 66 15 6 Sale of Plants— 1875-76 ... ... 5 11 0 1873-74 ... ... 41 2 0 293 2 3 1874-75 ... ... 37 10 0 Digging Holes,— 1875-76 ... ... 7 2 6 ' 1871-72 ... ... 21 18 3 1876-77 ... ... 24 8 0 1874-75 ... ... 57 15 7 110 2 fl 1875-76 ... ... 4 12 11 Sale of Say,— 84 6 9 1873-74 ... ... 7 0 0 Seats — 1875-76 ... ... 32 15 6 1870-71 ... ... 36 16 0 1876-77 ... ... 33 0 0 1875-76 ... ... 10 5 4 — 72 15 6 47 1 4 Trespass ... ... ~. ... 10 0 Wages, Labour, <$"c, — '1870-71 ... ... 136 1 7 1871-72 ... ... 220 10 7 1872-73 ... ... 204 19 2 1873-74 ... ... 355 0 6 1874-75 ... ... 363 13 6 1875-76 ... ... 445 6 2 1876-77 ... ... 214 2 0 ■ 1,939 13 6 Miscellaneous, — 1870-71 ... ... 25 5 5 1871-72 ... ... 13 10 4 1872-73 ... ... 4 15 1 1873-74 ... ... 18 14 0 1874-75 ... ... 58 17 0 1875-76 ... ... 50 5 1 1876-77 ... ... 12 12 3 183 19 2 Balance ... ... 301 15 5 £3,561 18 5 £3,561 18 5 Accounts of the Botanic Gaeden for 1876-77. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance in hand, October, 1876 ... ... 1 17 10 Garden Work (including underbrushing, cleanVote for 1876-77 ... ... ... 300 0 0 ing paths, nursery work, and Keeper's Share of Rents from City Reserves to June, 1876 93 9 0 salary ... ... ... ... 201 2 0 Ditto ditto to June, 1877, under old)basis, and Contract for cleaning Shrubbery ... ... 10 0 0 same proportion under new lease, from Ist Contract for Brush Fencing ... ... 17 14 2 July to 31st December, 1877 ... ... 231 6 9 Contract for cutting Bush ... ... ... 3 0 0 Sale of Plants ... ... ... ... 24 8 0 Miscellaneous Items—Freight, Advertising, and Contingencies ... ... ... 12 12 3 Balance ... ... ... ... 406 13 2 £651 -1 7 £651 1 7 28th August, 1877. Aethue Stock, Treasurer.

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. The following list* shows the different species of plants, shrubs, and trees which are growing in the domain at the present time, excluding those in the nursery-grounds, classified under the following groups: — A. — lndigenous. No. of Species. 1. Larger Trees ... ... ... 8 2. Shrubs ... ... ... ... 49 3. Twiners ... ... ... ... 16 4. Epiphytes ... ... ... 9 5. Parasites ... ... ... 3 6. Herbaceous ... ... ... 41 7. Ferns ... ... ... ... 51 S. — lntroduced Natives. 8. Trees and Shrubs ... ... ... 63 9. Grasses ... ... ... ... 50 10. Ferns ... ... ... ... 13 O. — Exotic. 11. Accidental "Weeds ... ... ... 67 12. Trees and Shrubs ... ... ... 159 13. Pinetum ... ... ... ... 127 Total Flora of the garden comprises 656 species. Approved by the Board. NOEMANBT, President. James Hectob, Director.

#Will be printed hereafter.

By Authority : Q-eobo-e Didsbcet, Goyernment Printer, Wellington.—lB77.

Price 3d]