NEW ZEALAND 



4221 



NEW ZEALAND 



Its Climate. Though one end of New Zea- 

 land is as far from the equator as Canada, and 

 the other extreme is as near to it as Morocco, 

 it- \\-eathrr is unlikr that of either. At Auck- 

 land, in the latitude corresponding to southern 

 Virginia, the mean temperature in midsummer 

 (January) is 66.6, about that of Duluth, Minn., 

 in July, while six months later, in the cold sea- 

 th* thermometers register 51.4, which is 

 about the temperature of San Antonio, Tex., 

 in January. The rainfall at Auckland is forty- 

 two inches each year, about as great as in New 

 Kntrland. At Christ church, east of the Alps, 

 i inly twenty-five inches, about as in west- 

 ern Ontario, but on the steep western slopes 

 it is four times as great. There are, however, 

 more hours of sunshine in New Zealand than 

 ly. 



Plants and Animals. When the English ar- 

 rivi-d, much of the country bore evergreen for- 

 ests, in which palms and ferns, large and small, 

 formed part of the dense undergrowth. There 

 were many beautiful birds, but among all the 

 animals there were none which nursed their 

 young. Inxcts were few, and snakes were en- 

 tin -ly lacking. 



ng the animals introduced into South 

 Nand from England wen- two rabbits, brought 

 in 1S59 by one who hoped fo indulge in rabbit 

 hunting. Twenty years later their countless 

 descendants were eating so much grass that 

 millions of acres of sheep land had to be aban- 

 doned. Only after years of government-super- 

 vised struggle, including the building of hun- 

 is of miles of wire fence, was the pest con- 

 trolled. In 1893, the climax of the fight, 17,- 

 000,000 rabbit skins were exported ; fifteen years 

 the number was 3,000,000. The introduc- 

 tion of sheep has resulted more fortunately, for 

 now one-third the value of New Zealand's ex- 

 ports (which in proportion to the population 

 xceeded in all the world only by those of 

 the natum which includes old Zecland) is in 



Industry. Practically all the islands' exports 

 are raw materials. After wool the important ar- 

 -arc frozen m i cheese; gold; 



hides, skins and leather; fiber; tallow; / 

 gum; mam and flour. The fiber is that of the 

 o-culled (see FLAX 



gum. or i. -in. i- .i ;,)in hve trees 



\ digging on the sites of ancient forests. 

 >rta of knur tunlx-r were once \ 

 ' now lui: iported. So m 



rests been expl< 

 mated that only fifty years' sup- 



Outline and Questions on 

 New Zealand 



Outline 



I. I'usii inn and Sle 



la ted situation 



>e from other lands 

 (3) s 



(a) Actual 



(b) Comparative 



II. The Land 



< 1 Mountains 



Volcanoes 



(2) Rivers 



(3) Climate 



(a) Compared with other countries 



in similar latitudes 



(4) Plant an.l animal life 

 a) Native for 



(b) Introduced forms 



III. The People 



(1) 



(a) The Maoris 



(b) Europeans 



(2) Population 



(3) Indus! 



(a) Mining 



(b) Agriculture 



(c) Stock growing 

 Progressiveness shown by 

 (a) Very advanced laws 

 (bj Schools 



I \ . History and Governm 



(1) Discovery 



ttlement 



(3) Growth and union 



(4) Relation to Great Britain 



(4) 



Questions 



Who were the first Inhabitants, so far 

 as is known, of these islands? 



What is the distance between New 

 Zealand and the nearest large body of 

 land? 



What was the purpose of the first 

 land tax? 



What peculiar system of leasing land 

 is in effect? 



i!"\\ long has woman suffrage been 

 practiced? 



Why HIK agricul- 



ture (.. the unemployed no longer as 

 Important as formerly? 



.M'-in i of the gov- 



nt which Koxcrninents elsewhere 

 frequently leave i 



In v. i al fratnres do the 



Islands resembl- 



\\ hat n-mai k.il.!.- I "U give 



mi.' of New Zealand's 



.:.! the e:n 

 ra notice ahum ih- animal lif'? 



animal, introduced from KIIK- 

 larul. hccMinc within a few year* a TON - 



oua pest? 



In what wny nre the wheat fields of 



/..-aland n markable? 



.in bears i 

 moth* i country as does New Zeal. 



ie Mime relation to the 



