432 Transactions. 



during the previous twelve years was 694,972. Later tliis work had to 

 be discontinued owing to lack of funds. 



During the years following 1867 many trees were pLinted both in the 

 Domain and Parks ; flower-beds and lawns were formed in the Domain, 

 and the main paths laid down as they now are. This entailed much hard 

 work, for the whole area was practically uncultivated. The bed just inside 

 the gates which is now so gay with flowers was a deep bed of shingle, all 

 of which had to be removed and replaced by good soil. Tlie College 

 border was amongst those formed, and still contains many trees and shrubs 

 planted at that time ; the River border was also formed about the same 

 time, and the Fern border also was prepared for the reception of tree-ferns. 

 A number of these are still to be found there in company with a tangled 

 mass of other native and foreign vegetation, and the whole, as it stands, 

 somewhat resembles a piece of native bush, where the young seedlings 

 of the various trees find a congenial home. 



The names of Mr. J. F. Armstrong and of his son will be always con- 

 nected especially witli that j)ortion of the Gardens now known as the " old 

 native section." About 1875 Mr. J. F. Armstrong proposed to lay out 

 the 2 acres hitherto used as a nursery for the cultivation of the New 

 Zealand trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, for, as he said, "■ there are 

 in the colony many beautiful and interesting plants, which it is desirable 

 to preserve from the destruction which is fast overtaking the indigenous 

 flora." He proposed to plant the species in hand in botanical order, and 

 fill up as others should be obtained. A very large collection of valuable 

 plants was brought together here, many of them being collected from their 

 native homes by the son, who took long and arduous journeys for that 

 purpose. 



Much of the history of this native section was given many years later 

 by Dr. L. Cockayne in an article entitled " The Native Section, its Value 

 and Possibilities," published in the Lyttelton Times of the 12th June. 1911. 

 Dr. Cockayne stated that the function of a native section such as that 

 formed by the Armstrongs was " to form a living museum of botanic 

 material which students could consult ; to be a pleasing adjunct to the 

 Gardens ; to show that native plants could be cultivated, and were equal 

 to expensive exotics ; and, finally, to supply seeds for exchange purposes 

 with horticultural establishments abroad. And right well has it served 

 those purposes." " Through the material collected in this way," the article 

 continues, " Mr. J. B. Armstrong sprang into the front rank of New 

 Zealand botanists by his bold and excellent paper on the New Zealand 

 veronicas, in which he foreshadowed De Vries's mutation theory." Material 

 from this section has been extensively used by Cheeseman, Petrie, and 

 Cockayne, among New Zealand botanists ; while seeds collected here have 

 been sent abroad to Edinburgh, Kew, and other great national gardens. 

 This native section is known far and wide throughout the world, and has 

 been visited by many scientific men from all parts of the globe. Since 

 ornamental plants form only a small percentage of the native flora, a 

 native garden cannot be limited to these, or it would give little idea of the 

 New Zealand flora. To be educational it must contain as many plants 

 as can possibly be got to grow there. Farther on in the article the 

 writer states that the native section is one of the horticultural land- 

 marks of the Dominion, and contains abundant material for research, 

 at the same time forming a wonderful object-lesson as to how plants from 

 the most different habitats — swamp, rock, river-bed, forest, scrub, low- 



