24 
The next step was to seek the co-opera 
tion of any who had veronica plants in 
their private gardens. Dr Irwin Hunter 
(who secured the late Mr H. Matthews's 
growing plants), Mr Seaton. of Fairfield, 
Messrs D. L. Poppelwell and Jas. Speden, 
of Gore, among others, were in strong sym- 
pathy with the movement, and large and 
important additions to the collection were 
thus made. Mr Hart and Mr Darton in- 
spected again and again the _ veronicas 
planted in the various city reserves, always 
on the look-out for one that had been over- 
looked, and from this source several plants 
were added to the list. Any varieties listed 
by nurserymen were, if not previously pos- 
sessed by them, gathered to the fold. <A 
North Island nurseryman, in supplying a 
few plants which had been ordered, sent 
one wrongly named, but which turned out 
to be one of those which the Wetherstones 
cultivators much desired to have. In the 
hope that such another pleasing mistake 
might occur again, they purchased the 
whole of the remaining nursery collection, 
but their hope was vain. 
% % = ¥* 
Visits to Public and Private Cardens 
by Messrs Hart and Darton. 
Three or four visits were paid to the 
Christchurch Bosanical Gardens, and seve- 
ral veronicas were unearthed from _ this 
source. One is certainly a very rare and 
pretty plant, about 10ft high. The name 
given to it by its new possessors for dis- 
tirctive reference, Upokotangatai, brings 
forth from visitors the question: ‘“‘ Wio- 
ever gave that name to it? What does it 
mean?” Another, Karamui, also locally 
named, has the makings of a novel bush. 
Both these veronicas came originally from 
the Chatham Islands. Many a time the 
searchers had to get down on all fours 
and explore under the many big trees that 
now adorn the Christchurch Gardens. 
What was most striking were the immense 
labels used there by Armstrong and _ his 
predecessors forty or fifty years ago. Hvery 
hole and corner was searched with the hope 
that, hidden away in some remote place, 
