Girrigs.— On the Growth of Trees on Scoria Soil. 857 
 Habitat,—Port Pegasus, Stewart Island, on wet open ground, ranging 
from 100 to 1500 feet in elevation. Named in honour of G. M. Thomson, 
Esq., of the Dunedin High School, who discovered it along with myself. 
The only other New Zealand species of Ehrharta is an alpine plant from the 
Tararua Range, Wellington. This grass possesses, I should say, no 
economie value. 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE X. 
Fig. 1. Ehrharta thomsoni, Petrie. Nat. size. 
2. Spikelet. 
3. Upper pair of empty glumes and floret. 
4, Floret 
5,5’ Nervation of lower heed of empty glumes. 
6,6’ r u 
7. s Bom glume. 
8. - palea. 
9,9' Seales. 
10. Grain 
Anr. LIII.— Notes on the Growth of certain Trees on Scoria Soil near Mount 
Eden, Auckland. By T. B. Gums, a Judge of the Supreme Court 
of New Zealand. 
[Read before the Auckland Institute, 30th June, 1879.] 
Ix autumn, 1860, I planted a variety of trees on a piece of scoria land 
at the foot of Mount Eden, where I had just built my house, and have 
now (February, 1879) carefully measured them with the following results. 
The land was wild scoria land, the surface covered with scoria boulders, the 
partial disintegration of which had formed soil below, in which were also 
imbedded scoria boulders. At a greater depth were masses of scoria 
rock and ash partially decomposed and in many places forming rocky 
cavities. The surface vegetation was grass and fern. The young trees 
when planted were from one to two feet high, probably two to three-year-old 
seedlings. Oaks and other deciduous trees did not thrive, and ultimately 
died off, except the upright poplar, one badly-grown elm, and the weeping 
willow. Peach trees grow rapidly and fruit well for a few years (about 
seven), and then cease to bear. Apple trees grow well and fruit freely for a 
few years, and then die off from a sort of dry-rot at the roots. Plums, 
apricots, and cherries do badly in this soil. It will be seen from the 
annexed table that coniferous trees grow wonderfully in such soil, especially 
P. insignis and radiata, as also Cupressus macrocarpa, Taxodium sempervirens, 
