xXx. ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. 
the Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria excelsa) as the staple 
tree for reafforestation of our coastal sand-dunes with a 
useful timber, and recommends one of the Tea-trees (Leptos- 
permum loevigatum) as the ‘‘ nurse’’ plant for establishing 
the young trees. Also he insisted on the element of time, 
as people sometimes appear to think that a crop of trees 
can be raised in pure sand in a period that experts know 
to be impossible. Under (3) he dealt with the important 
matter of protection against fire and of the adequate fencing 
of the young plantations. He then gave a brief list of 
plants recommended for this important work, dividing them 
into indigenous trees, shrubs, and grasses, and exotic trees, 
shrubs, and grasses respectively. He insisted on the 
necessity for utilizing the indigenous vegetation, which is 
specially suitable, because of a long period of adaptation, 
for this particular duty. 
Il. The Western Problem.—He attempted to define the 
area of the sand-drift country, and divided the western 
country into three classes. 1. The black earthy plains 
(the ‘‘black-soil plains ’’) which crack when dry but which . 
do not move. 2. Soil with more or less clay in it; this 
may blow away but it does not drift. 3. Drifting sands; 
these consist of clay, vegetable matter and sand. ‘The 
lighter particles blow away in drought seasons, the remain- 
ing sands. mostly red in colour but sometimes white are the 
driftiug sands of the west. He then touched upon the geo- 
logical origin of the moving sand. The causes of drifting 
sands were the nattributed to:—1. droughts; 2. overstock- 
ing; 3. the rabbit pest ; all of which had been more or less 
responsible for the removal of the sparse indigenous vege- 
tation which had tended to knit the sand together. He 
dealt with each point in some detail and discussed the pre- 
vailing winds which cause the movement of the sand. He 
then proceeded toa discussion of remedial measures, point- 
ing out, in the first place, that the principles of coastal sand- 
