Maskell.— 0;i a Department of Agriculture. 625 



once filled the entire area now partly covered by ocean and 

 partly by rich fertile plains. But the distribution of volcanic 

 rocks and the evidence as to the age of the volcano under 

 notice must be left for another paper. So also must an 

 account of the flora to be met with on and around the 

 mountains. 



EXPLANATION OP PLATES XLIII.-XLIX. 

 XLIII. — Map of country round Tongariro. 

 XLIV. — Map of summit of Ruapehu. 



XLV. — Crater of Ngauruhoe in March, 1890, from the west. 

 XLVI. — Crater-lake on Ruapehu from the north-east. 

 XLVII. — Sketch-map of Tokaanu, showing location of hot springs. 

 XL VIII. — Ngauruhoe from Tongariro. 

 XLIX. — Tongariro from summit of Ngauruhoe. 



Art. LX. — On the EstahlisUmcnt of an Expert Agricultural 

 Department in New Zealand. (Abstract.) 



By W. M. Maskell, F.E.M.S. 



[Bead before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 29th July, 1891.] 



Mr. Maskell said that, because there was a gentleman in the 

 Cabinet with the title of Minister of Agriculture, and under 

 him a Department of Lands and a Department of Stock, most 

 people in the colony were under the impression that there is 

 in New Zealand a Department of Agriculture properly esta- 

 bHshed. This, however, was not the case, the titles men- 

 tioned being practically (except perhaps for stock) misnomers. 

 In point of fact, there is not at present in the country any 

 official and responsible machinery for investigating the various 

 enemies to cultivation, and for informing and advising culti- 

 vators thereon. Agriculture, he might say in passing, was 

 not necessarily farming : there are large numbers of persons 

 engaged in, or interested in, gardening, tree-growing, fruit- 

 growing, floriculture, cultivation of all sorts, who are not 

 farmers, and this should be borne in mind, as will be mentioned 

 presently. Now, on the appearance of a new enemy to the 

 cultivator, of a new pest amongst crops or trees or gardens, or 

 even of a new friend or a new method of procedure, what has 

 to be done by the existing machinery ? There is nobody in 

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