﻿294 Transactions. — Botany. 



in the work on hand, and apologies for delay arising from severe illness, goes 

 on to remark : "I have filled np the form as well as I could ; for, as to the 

 indigenous grasses of the province, you will observe that the most valuable 

 kinds with you take but a secondary place here, whilst those of most service 

 to us do not come so far south as Canterbury. I have added rough notes on 

 the chief cultivated and naturalised grasses in this province (Auckland), as it 

 is evident that good permanent pasture can not be made by native grasses 

 alone, although several species are of great value when mixed with the rye- 

 grasses, fescues, and meadow grasses of Europe." Agaia : " Severe frosts are 

 unknown north of the Auckland isthmus, and we have no hills so high as 

 3,000 feet even, except on the south and south-eastern extremity of the 

 proviuce, so that little can be said of the efiects of frost on altitude." Mr. 

 Kirk concludes by courteously volunteering his further services in any way 

 that can advance the work on hand, and asking your Committee to kindly 

 send him in return specimens of any indigenous grasses of Canterbury — 

 '' especially," he says, " those marked on your list, so as to ascertain any 

 divergence in nomenclature." 



Your Committee, sensible of Mr. Kirk's ready kindness, desired their 

 chairman to convey to that gentleman their thanks for, and great appreciation 

 of, his valuable contributions. In addition to which, Mr. Armstrong (a 

 member of your Committee), in comformity with his request, forwarded to 

 him a selection of such specimens (35 in number) of the native grasses of 

 Canterbury as he thought most desirable and acceptable, and has now an addi- 

 tional number in course of preparation. 



The information given by Mr. Kirk your Committee strongly recommend 

 should be printed in extenso, both on account of its intrinsic value, and 

 because it chiefly refers to the province of Auckland, which is so far distant 

 from Canterbury, that it is quite possible the same grasses may occupy different 

 positions relatively in the two places. 



Finally, Messrs. J. F. and J. B. Armstrong have furnished your Committee 

 with a series of notes on 42 grasses indigenous to the province of Cantei-bury, 

 which your Committee are persuaded will prove of great value and interest. 

 (Appendix B. to this Report.) 



At the commencement of this season, your Committee sent out a few 

 circulars (with tabulated lists as before), requesting information upon 21 

 exotic grasses, and they are glad to be able to report that three of these have 

 been returned, with much valuable information filled in. The Committee is 

 indebted for these to Messrs. S.D. Clyde, M. Dixon, and J. C. Boys, three 

 gentlemen who have had considerable experience in grasses. 



To facilitate comparison, the replies and remarks furnished by the above- 

 named gentlemen in the returned circulars have been thrown into a synoptical 



