wide eaves, come only half way from floor to roof, and rain can blow in. The good ventilation probably saves the place. Two women and two natives work in the Herbarium. Botanic Gardens are on a forest reserve 60 (66?) acres in area (another, adjoining, 40 acres are available under the town planning scheme). High old river terrace and ground about 50-80 ft. lower, but well drained, are represented. There is a permanent small stream, a little sago swamp, and a strip of original tall old rain forest under the break of the terrace. The grass is kept mowed and some planting has been done. A big slat house contains a good new collection of native (and a few hybrid) orchid, begonias, ferns, etc. There are great possibilities in the garden. A new reinforced concrete herbarium and office building should be put up this year. In afternoon John drove me some miles along the Bulolo road to see the country. Following us in his own utility was R. N. (Ron) Paine, an entomologist, here for 18 months for the Fijian Government on investigation of the banana scale moth. He found larvae of one of his moths on Heliconia. Returning to Lae, we called in at the cocoa plantation of Henty, formerly of the Dept. of Forests, who has 40 acres under crop and proposes to plant 120 acres. The cocoa is doing well. A new crop in which chocolate manufacturers in Australia are showing great interest. MacRobertson's have a plantation not from from Henty's. Henty is the last of the old pioneer family of that name in Victoria. The last of the family fortune is invested in the cocoa. In evening, John and Mary Womersley had Paine and I to dinner in a Chinese restaurant (not too good). And Paine later showed some good kodachrome slides he has made in New Guinea. Wednesday January 9: Day spent on a visit to the Highlands with John Womersley on the DC 3 which the government charters to do a round of the outstations every Wednesday. Left Lae at 7:50 and landed at Garoka some 40-50 Minutes later. Tus Webster of Buntings met me at the airport. Garoka is the center of an area in which, scattered over many miles and served by several airdromes, coffee is being planted by Europeans. Country is almost entirely deforested, except for a few trees along riverbanks and in ravines. Heavy native population living in bee-hive houses. I understand that the older plantations are just about coming into full bearing and this is a critical time for the young industry. (A visiting expert reported the soil unsuitable). From Baroka we flew to Minj passing over the Chimbu Valley and government station on the way. Minj is in the great Whagi Valley, at c. 5500 feet. Natives live in small hamlets and both men and women wear a sort of sporran of netted string. Some coffee planting. (Probably more scope for European settlement in the Wagi than in the Garoka area). Got the loan of a Land Rover from the ADC at Minj and drove across the valled to Nordugl, a distance of about 15 miles by fairly good dry-weather road. At Nordugl, the government and Sir Edward Halstron have a joint project in sheep raising. Have ca. 1,000 head of Romney Marsh breed in charge of Frank Pemble-Smith of the Dept. of Agriculture. Various flukes have been troublesome. Extense rotation of grazing, in small paddocks is now practiced to control the fluke. The original object was to introduce sheep into this grassy valley as an extension scheme for the natives, but the natives have shown no interest.