Wellington Philosophical Society. 529 



burnet. Having grown some in a garden, I was anxious to introduce it 

 among the native grasses in a low-lying paddock, wliicli had never been 

 ploughed, and was never likely to be, on account of the floods which peri- 

 odically submerged it, and with that object I transplanted a few roots to 

 different spots, and also sowed some of the seed in small patches, which 

 were carefully marked. The roots struck readily, and tlie seed soon sprang 

 up, and I congratulated myself on the success attending the experiment ; 

 but I failed of my object in substituting burnet for inferior plants through 

 the sheep feeding it down close to the ground so that it could not seed. 

 The author concludes with a suggestion to the Society to publish a pamph- 

 let on such exotic grasses as have been proved suitable for specified soils 

 and climates. 



Mr. Travers remarked that Mr. Blundell could get a great deal of the information he 

 mentioned as to grasses, etc., from the catalogues published in England. What we 

 wanted here was the feeding value of grasses and character of soil. As to the disap- 

 pearance of flax, he considered that the opening up of the swamps where it grows, by 

 cattle, and the introduction of other plants, did more to make it disappear than merely 

 the cattle eating it. It was, no doubt, eaten for the pleasant bitter it contained. 



Mr. Kirk remarked that some confusion existed with regard to the burnet ; there are 

 two plants well known to agriculturists imder the names of the greater and the lesser 

 burnet respectively. The former flourishes best in cool and rather moist soils, the latter 

 in those of a dry character ; and he had observed the latter in a naturalized condition 

 near Castle-rock and in other parts of the colony. Both plants are of great value. He 

 considered the consolidation of the surface of swampy ground by cattle, and the conse- 

 quent establishment of exotic weeds, to be more destructive to Fhormium and other 

 swamp plants than the direct injury caused by cattle in feeding, etc. He regretted that 

 he could not agree with the author in his estimate of the value of Dr. Curl's writings. 

 His statements were for the most part wanting in the necessary data for testing their 

 value. He trusted Dr. Curl would furnish the results of the analysis to which he referred, 

 with particulars as to the nature of soil in which the grasses were growing, coui'se of 

 culture, and quantity of food fm-nished by each, in precise terms, at some future time. 



Dr. Newman agreed with Mr. Kirk that the information contained in Dr. Cmi'a 

 papers on these subjects was scarcely full or complete enough to be of much practical 

 value. 



Mr. Blundell, in reply, said he did not think it necessary for him to defend Dr. Curl 

 He still thought he was right in what he said about the disappearance of the Phormium. 



4. "Notes on the Botany of WaUieke, Eangitoto, and other Islands in 

 the Hauraki Gulf," by T. Kh-k, F.L.S. {Transactioris, p. 444.) 



Mr. Travers said that it would be impossible not to remark the pecuHar vegetation of 

 Eangitoto as described by Mr. Kirk. The cause of the luxuriance of growth is no doubt 

 due to the moisture of the climate. 



Mr. Travers drew attention to a paper by Professor Houghton, of Dublin, on 

 " Physical Geology," lately published in Nature, which bore out certain remarks made in 

 a paper on the same subject written by him (Mr. Travers) last year, and published in 

 Yol. X. of the Transactions. 



a37 



