﻿Report on Native and Introdaced Grasses. 293 



by your attaching the common names to the inclosed list, and returning it at 

 your earliest convenience." 



In short, your Committee asked generally for the assistance of all persons 

 interested in the furtherance of the important siibject they had undertaken. 



The answers to the appeal of your Committee were but very few, and 

 those contained (with one important exception to be afterwards referred to) 

 only expressions of regret at being unable to furnish the information asked for. 

 The only information received as to the common names, either English or 

 Maori, was from Mr. Colenso, of Hawkes Bay, who states that, " As to the 

 Maori names of grasses (in the printed list), the smaller ones are all known as 

 Patiti; No. 3, Hierochloe redolens, has a separate name, and is called Karetu." 



Your Committee, in expressing themselves as above, do not wish to be 

 understood as implying censure on any of the gentlemen to whom they ad- 

 dressed themselves, for apathy in the matter, for they have reason to believe 

 that in most cases the cause why the circulars were not returned was, that 

 the settlers to whom they were sent were unable to identify the grasses by 

 their technical names ; and as the Committee, as before stated, wei'e unable to 

 give the common names in the circular, there thus arose almost a deadlock 

 between the parties. 



The above general statement of the course adopted and its results will, 

 your Committee are convinced, go far towards indicating the causes of the im- 

 perfect success attained in that branch of the inquiry to which the Society 

 attached peculiar interest, viz., the acquiring a more perfect knowledge of the 

 properties of, and the best means of utilising, the indigenous grasses of the 

 colony. 



Before leaving this part of their report, your Committee wish, in connec- 

 tion with their native grass circulars, to advert particularly to the one 

 exception before alluded to. That exception is a valuable contribution from 

 Mr. Thomas Kirk, of Auckland. Besides returning the tabulated form with 

 the desired replies as to the grasses therein named which are natives of 

 A uckland, and giving additional information on other native grasses of that 

 province not mentioned in your Committee's list, and some of which are 

 probably peculiar to the North Island, Mr. Kirk accompanied his reply with 

 some interesting specimens of indigenous grasses, and also a comprehensive 

 and valuable paper on the progress and condition of exotic grasses in the 

 province of Auckland. (Appendix A. to this Report.) 



The dried specimens above mentioned consist of Microlcena stipoides, 

 Zoysia 2^ungens, Isachne australis, and Sporoholus elongatus, and came to 

 hand in a good state of preservation. 



In his letter accompanying these contributions, and addressed to the chair- 

 man of your Committee, Mi-. Kirk, after many kindly expressions of interest 



o o 



