104 J. H. MAIDEN. 
He could also, if deemed desirable, establish at each 
nursery a Small experimental nursery. Probably his trees 
etc., would have to be raised by the “‘ bamboo method ”’ 
as flower-pots would be out of the question, and other 
receptacles (tins for jam, fish, meat, etc.) would be com- 
paratively few. And here I may make the observation 
that in the afforestation of the Western Country old tins 
would be valuable, and these articles should, as far as pos- 
sible, be carefully preserved for this purpose instead of 
being thrown out as at present. 
The gardener-in-charge of each depot would also encour- 
age the native grasses and other tussocky and creeping- 
stemmed plants to spread. He would plant cuttings of 
salt-bush and other plants. The work of one gardener would 
be compared with that of another, and they should be 
encouraged to emulate each other. <A good gardener (and 
let me say that we must have trained men, and not mere 
labourers, however willing) would master the planting of 
any sand-dune. He would also be a focus of information 
for a district, instructing anyone who might seek knowledge. 
By degrees, under the lee of the sand-dunes and in other 
favourable places, he would gradually experiment with 
other plants and would do something towards forming oases 
in the desert. Personally [am often in a position to supply 
seeds for experimental purposes, and if the matter were 
seriously entered upon, our numerous exchanges with 
foreign countries would be requested to supply seeds ete., 
to further this national work. These depdts would be out- 
posts to reclaim these desert areas, and are as necessary 
as means of communication. Droughts would recur and 
even the depots would sometimes have a hard fight to 
exist, but unless it is thought that nothing can be done to 
re-establish and improve the vegetation on the shifting 
sands, an opinion that, if held, I do not share, let us 
