Report of the Committee appointed to obtain information as to Nativea and other Grasses.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 3, 1870, Page 97

Your Committee, in bringing up their second Report, have to state that, owing to the season of the year having been unfavourable for

their investigations, very little has been done by them since their last report was presented. The minutes of the meetings which have been held will show that a communication has been received from Mr. Kirk, of Auckland, in reply to the circular sent to him last year, in which he gives a great deal of valuable information on native as well as on introduced grasses, and which will be most useful to the Committee when giving in their final report. Mr. Kirk has also forwarded a number of specimens of grasses common in the Province of Auckland, some of which it is believed are not to be found in Canterbury. Mr. Armstrong has kindly presented to the Committee a fine collection of European and Native Grasses, the latter named and arranged by his son, and presented by him to the Institute, which will be of great service for reference, not only to the Committee, but to the members of the Institute generally. With respect to these specimens, your Committee believe that great assistance towards forwarding the object in view would be afforded by rendering them accessible to those who take an interest in the subject, as an examination would enable them to learn the names of the grasses about which information is wanted, and thus one difficulty, namely, that of identifying the grasses with the scientific names, would be removed. As the seeding season of grasses is now approaching, a number of circulars requesting specimens with remarks thereon have been sent out to such runholders, farmers, and others, as the Committee think most likely to take a little trouble in the matter, but the failure in acquiring information in this way experienced last year, has taught the Committee to rely more upon themselves than others for the future, a course which they intend to adopt. In sending out the former circulars, attention was exclusively directed to the subject of native grasses, but the Committee, in addition, have now forwarded a number of circulars to various agriculturists and others, asking for special information on the subject of imported grasses, and on their experience in their cultivation, and this course is likely to result in information being received that will prove not only of interest but of great value. Robert Wilkin, Chairman. 12th October, 1870.