696
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
origin, and has been washed from the slopes; these
patches are small, and do not appear to spread,
although sometimes they exhibit great luxuriance.
At Tapuachararu a large paddock has been laid
down in excellent grass by the Armed Constabulary
stationed there, and at the date of my visit promised
well for permanance, although somewhat overstocked.
At Opepe a paddock of about 40 acres has been laid
down, chiefly on cleared forest land, with the best
results.

The innutritious character of the common indi-
genuous grass of the district, Poa australis var. lævis,
when not mixed with other kinds, was demonstrated
by the total failure of the recent attempts to estab-
lish sheep stations; yet I have no doubt that a limited
amount of surface sowing in favourable situations
the season before the sheep were introduced, with
yearly additions, would have insured successful re-
sults, as the Poa would have been eaten with greater
zest, and would have proved more beneficial, if other
kinds could have been mixed with it, or rendered
accessible at short intervals.

The stations of the Armed Constabulary offer
centres from which experiments in grass culture
might readily be carried out, and the results recorded.
A judicious selection of suitable kinds would allow
of much being done towards providing a permanent
supply of herbage at a trivial cost. The following
kinds appear to be well adapted for the district :—
Cynodon Dactylon, the Doab grass of India, is capable
of resisting drought to a greater extent than any
other grass yet introduced: during the protracted
drought of last season it furnished a large supply of
green food when other kinds were dried up. The
seed of this plant should not be sown until the spring
is sufficiently advanced for the ground to have become
warm. A ready method of propagation would be to
chop the rhizomes into small pieces, and scatter them
over the surface in rainy weather. The same remarks
apply with equal force to the buffalo grass (Steno-
taphrum glabrum), which produces an immense yield
of succulent and nutritious herbage.

The common meadow grass (Poa pratensis) would
prove of the greatest value, and speedily form a sward
in all but the driest localities; the red sheep's fescue
(Festuca rubra), seems specially adapted for ravines
and gullies. Prairie grass (Bromus unioloides) would spread
with rapidity in the valleys.

A small Australian grass, Eragrostis Brownii,
which produces a large yield of fine herbage, is
spreading fast amongst the tea-tree in various localities
north of the Waitemata, and is of sufficient promise
to merit an experimental sowing in the district. It
would probably flourish in the ravines which intersect
the country in all directions.

The indigenous Poa breviglumis would prove almost
as valuable as the common meadow grass. I have
already recorded the occurrence of the native kinds,
Sporobolus elongatus and Microlæna stipoides, in many
localities in the district; the latter affords good food,
the former is coarse and tough. At present they are
confined to the vicinity of roads and tracks, but are
evidently spreading. Isachne australis, an excellent
grass, occurs in the swamps, but is not nearly so
abundant as in the northern part of the Province.

Glyceria aquatica would flourish in the swamps,
and produce a vast supply of herbage. G. fluitans
might be easily established in all moist situations, on
the margin of lakes, by the sides of streams, &c.,
&c., and would speedily make an addition to the
cattle food of the district.

It is of the greatest importance that no indiscri-
minate clearing of the limited extent of forest land
in the district should be permitted. Not only would
this prove injurious to the district itself, but the
injury would extend to the lower portion of the
Waikato Valley, and exhibit its effects in disastrous
floods. These results should be steadily borne in
mind, as settlers will always be tempted to avail
themselves of the superior quality of the timbered
land for cultivation. The partial thinnings necessary
to procure a supply of telegraph posts have already
caused the destruction of much valuable timber, from
the fact that wherever a gap is made in the forest, the
adjacent trees are unable to resist the force of a
violent storm, unless in a well-sheltered position. A
striking instance of this occurred during my stay in
the district, when, in a single night, fine trees were
blown down in the forest at Opepe to such an extent
that it was almost impossible to force one's way
through.

Although most of the land is at present in the
hands of Natives, it would be good policy to hold
out inducements for the formation of forest planta-
tions, as there can be no doubt that a larger extent
of timbered land in the district would have a favour-
able effect on its climate, and consequently upon its
agricultural capabilities at large.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
(Judicial Branch),
Wellington, 30th August, 1872.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to
accept the resignation by
SAMUEL HODGKINSON, Esq.,
of Invercargill, of his appointment as a Coroner
within the Colony.

W. GISBORNE.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
(Judicial Branch,)
Wellington, 30th August, 1872.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to
appoint
FRANCIS ALEXANDER MONCKTON, Esq.,
of Invercargill, to be a Coroner within the Colony..

W. GISBORNE.

Colonial Defence Office,
Wellington, 28th August, 1872.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to
accept the resignation of
Assistant-Surgeon J. M. GIBBES,
of the Armed Constabulary Force.

DONALD MCLEAN.

IN the matter of "The Friendly Societies Act,
1867:" Notice is hereby given, that a transcript
of the Rules of
"The Kaeo and Whangaroa Friendly Society,"
duly certified, has been lodged with the Registrar of
Friendly Societies, registered and recorded in his
office, under the provisions of "The Friendly Societies
Act, 1867."

Dated this second day of September, 1872.
G. S. COOPER
(for the Registrar).

IN the matter of "The Friendly Societies Act,
1867:" Notice is hereby given, that a transcript
of the Rules of
"The Loyal City of Norwich Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U.,
duly certified, has been lodged with the Registrar of
Friendly Societies, registered and recorded in his
office, under the provisions of "The Friendly Societies
Act, 1867."

Dated the second day of September, 1872.
G. S. COOPER
(for the Registrar).