﻿426 Proceedings. - 



withoiit cost or labour ; at the present moment the cost of planting an acre 

 of ground would be considerable, because the trees are scarce, and cannot be 

 obtained- in sufficient numbers; but the cost of trees will diminish yearly, as 

 they can be grown readily from cuttings, so that commencing with a few trees 

 the number can be increased at little cost. The cultivation of the tree requires 

 attention, to grow luxuriantly and stand the waste it is made subject to by 

 being stripped of its leaves. The mulberry tree must be well manured, but 

 the cost of this would not equal that of cultivating crops of grain, while after 

 the two first years the returns from ordinaiy farming would bear no proportion 

 to those to be obtained from growing mulberry trees. 



In a country like this, where land is cheap, and where, from the scantiness 

 of labour so little is m:ade of it, the sacrifice would be nominal were eveiy 

 small holder of land to plant only a few hundred trees on the sides of the 

 hills ; and on many spots where land is suffered to lie uncultivated the mul- 

 berry tree would thrive well. 



In conclusion, I have to express my firm conviction that sei-iculture may 

 be made one of the most valuable indiistries this colony can possess ; and 

 if I succeed in inducing small holders of land to cultivate mulberiy trees, the 

 object for which I have laboured will be attained. 



2. " Traces of Ancient Glaciers in the Province of Nelson," by A. D. 

 Dobson. (See Transactions, p. 336.) 



Some discussion took place, and Mr. T. Mackay said that he could vouch 

 for the accuracy of the author's description of the Mount Arthur and Mount 

 Spencer districts, as he had himself observed the traces of glacial action in 

 both, but he was not prepared to enter into the hypothesis which Mr. Dobson 

 had raised regarding the orisjin of glaciers in New Zealand. 



Fifth Meeting. 7th June, 1871. 



F. W. Irvine, M.D., in the chair. 



1, The Chairman read a letter from His Honour the Superintendent, with 

 an inclosure from Dr. Hector, respecting a j)roposed expedition to Cape York 

 for the purpose of witnessing the total eclipse of the sun on 15th December. 



2. " On the Varieties of Food for, and Management of the Silkworm," 

 (Part II.), by T. C. Batchelor. 



(abstract.) 



The author gives extracts from various recent publications on the subject, 

 to compare with the results of his own experiments, which show : — 



(1.) That the leaves of Morus alba are inferior in size and quality to those 

 of M, midticaulis. 



