1919.] New Zealand Institute Science Congress. 237 
Lincoln College. 
About forty members of the Congress visited Lincoln Agricultural 
College by motor-car on the afternoon of Tuesday, 4th February, and were 
entertained to tea at the College by Mr. and Mrs. Alexander. Opportunities 
were given for inspecting the building and laboratories, after which the 
party divided into two, those interested in stock accompanying Mr, 
Alexander to inspect the animals of the College farm, while the remainder, 
under the guidance of Dr. Hilgendorf, visited the fields devoted to the 
breeding of wheat and the growing of seed for Canterbury requirements 
(cf. p. 279). Much interest was taken in some strips of wheat grown from 
seed collected in Gallipoli and Palestine, the contrast with selected New 
Zealand plants showing the enormous improvements in yield of corn that 
could be brought about throughout the w r orld by breeding and selection. 
Dyer’s Pass. 
This excursion proved a great attraction. It was under the leadership 
of Mr. H. G. Ell, M.P., and Mr. R. M. Laing, B.Sc. Many chose to walk 
from Victoria Park, but some took advantage of the motors provided by the 
Excursions Committee. When the summit was gained the less enterprising 
contented themselves with the charming view of Lyttelton Harbour and 
the mountains of Banks Peninsula, which bursts all of a sudden into 
sight, and with the truly excellent afternoon tea provided at the “ Sign 
of the Kiwi ”—one of the picturesque stone rest-houses of the Summit 
Road Association. Those who desired to see more of the vegetation of 
the Port Hills than had been afforded by the tussock-grassland fol¬ 
lowed an excellent new path which leads below the cliffs to a pretty 
piece of bush. 
At the rest-house Mr. Ell welcomed the visitors to what is his especial 
domain, telling them something about the admirable work of the Summit 
Road Association. The President of the New Zealand Institute replied 
complimenting Mr. Ell and the association upon the splendid success of their 
endeavours. 
At present the Summit Road extends from Godley Head lighthouse 
well on towards Gebbie’s Valley—a distance of twenty miles. Ultimately 
it is intended to extend the road over the mountain-tops right to Akaroa. 
All along the route reserves have been’ secured, some of w r hich contain fine 
pieces of forest. These reserves, twenty in all, are from 2 acres to 595 acres 
in extent, but the greater number exceed 30 acres. 
Quail Island. 
A small party of geologists crossed from Lyttelton to Quail Island on 
the afternoon of Wednesday, 5th February, and visited points of special 
interest under the guidance of Mr. R. Speight, who has recently described 
the area in his paper on “ The Geology of Banks Peninsula ” [Trans. N.Z. 
Inst., vol. 49, pp. 365-92, 1917). The numerous dykes and the lithophyses 
m the rhyolites excited special interest, and the latter were vigorously 
collected. On the return to Lyttelton opportunity was taken, whilst 
awaiting a train, to walk a short distance along the Sumner Road as far 
as the exposure of the tridymite trachyte. Attention was called to the 
stratified so-called loess at Lyttelton by Mr. Wild, on which a paper was 
later to be submitted to the Section. 
