Gillies. — On the Growth of the Cork Oak in Auckland. 267 



of May analyzed a portion of my crop, then still standing, and found it 

 produce 7*12 per cent, of sugar, of which a very small proportion was 

 uncrystallizable. I hope that the teachings of my failures will enable me 

 to be more successful next year. 



But I have succeeded in making sugar. A portion of the treacle made 

 from my first crushing I distributed, and a portion was used for household 

 purposes. About 2£ gallons were put into an earthenware jar, and left in 

 a storeroom. On looking at this jar some two months after, I found a de- 

 posit of crystallized sugar an inch thick all over the sides and bottom of 

 the jar. This I took and strained through a sieve under pressure and 

 obtained about 5 lbs. of sugar. 



Of the quality you can judge for yourselves from the samples I now place 

 before you. It is, I believe, the first sugar produced in New Zealand. I 

 also present you with samples of the treacle. 



Summary of results proved by experiments. 



1. That from 12 to 18 tons of topped and stripped cane per acre can be 



produced on average soils with ordinary culture. 



2. That 50 per cent, of the weight of stripped cane can be expressed. I 



have averaged over 41 per cent, on 3 tons, — or 8066 gallons. 



3. That the juice averages over 11 lbs. per gallon, weight. 



4. That the juice must be evaporated to one-fifth of its bulk to produce a 



crystallizable syrup. 



5. That the main difficulties are the evaporation and crystallization. 



Art. XXXIV. — On the Growth of the Cork Oak in Auckland. 

 By Mr. Justice Gillies. 

 [Read before the Auckland Institute, 28th August, 1882.] 

 In the public newspapers, and in the utterances of members of Parlia- 

 mentary committees for the encouragement of native industries, we periodi- 

 cally find suggestions as to the introduction of the growth of the cork oak 

 in New Zealand. The following facts may, therefore, be not uninteresting 

 as affording data by which to judge of the economic value of the cork oak 

 in New Zealand. 



In the year 1855, the late Dr. Sinclair planted close to his house, near 

 Symonds Street, a young cork oak, received from Kew. It is now about 

 40 feet in height, 14 feet from the ground to the first branch, with a 

 spread of top of about 40 feet in diameter. The trunk at 3 feet from 

 the ground is 5*8 ft. in circumference after stripping. For several years past 

 it has produced acorns, from which the present occupant of the grounds, 



