15 
sonal acquaintance with the vegetation, 
while his numerous writings afforded abun- 
dant proof of widespread knowledge and of 
accurate and careful botanical research. 
Under such circumstances the announcement 
made in 1894 that he had been engaged by 
the New Zealand Government to prepare a 
‘Students’ Flora of New Zealand’ was 
received with generai approval; and when 
his death occurred in 1897 it was a disap- 
pointment to find that barely two-fifths of 
his task had been completed. This portion 
has since been printed by the Government, 
and its value intensifies the regret that the 
author did not live to complete the work for 
which he had made so much preparation, 
and for which he possessed so many 
undoubted qualifications.”’ 
Taking up an odd number of the Trans- 
actions recently from among my series (and, 
by the way, it had on its cover the name 
Julius von Haast, in that distinguished 
sclentist’s handwriting), I found three 
separate contributions by Myr Kirk. on 
“Descriptions of New Flowering Plants, ’ 
“Description of a New Species of Clado- 
phora,”’ and ‘“‘Notice of the Occurrence of 
Lagenophora Emphysonus and Other Unre- 
corded Plants in New Zealand.’’ There are 
one hundred and fifty of these contribu- 
tions from Mr Kirk scattered through 
many volumes of the Transactions. They 
bear testimony to his great industry for a 
long period, extending from 1863, the year 
in which he arrived in the colony, until his 
death in 1897. 
* *¥ *% * 
In a letter to the writer of these articles 
Dr Cockayne recently expressed the view 
that:—* . |. . Regarding our New Zea- 
land plants, cultivation is a most powerful 
weapon in wresting from them those secrets 
which lie hidden in. their forms and_ be- 
haviour. Would that botanist and 
gardener worked more in collaboration.” 
Dr Cockayne’s expression of opinion may 
well be emphasised. There can be little 
doubt that what may be called the botany of 
the people, as distinguished from the more 
exclusive botany of the scientist, must be 
