60 



with the trade winds, viz., south-east-north-west, now the nature of the country is marshy. On the coast it- 

 turns abruptly north, and the rainfall rapidly increases, self and for a little way inland, tidal conditions pre- 

 and true rain forest conditions once more establish vail, with the usual mangrove formations. Inland fur- 

 themselves. The population along the coast is fairly ther, one finds fresh water swamp lands wilh a good 

 heavy, and so the bulk of the easily accessible forest supply of sago palms; of heavy forest types — there are 

 has gone — converted under the usual system of shifting none until the land rises into hillocks when the usual 

 cultivation into weed tree re-growth. Here and there rain forest is met with. One has to journey 36 miles 

 near a village a few of the old trees have been retained up the Sepik before such hills are met with. Here at 

 for shade and shelter, but for the most part the forest Marienberg occurs a clump of hills which are clothed 



the in rain forest, and where the Roman Catholic Mission 



propose moving their mill from its present position at 



has gone. It is necessary to rise 

 foothills before virgin bush is met with. 



some way up 



Here the war- 



ring factions, coastal versus inland tribes, had made a the head-quarters of the society at Alexis-hafen. There, 

 no-man's land or, at any rate, a land where the popu- like the mill at Finsch-hafen, the log transport ques- 

 lation was very sparse and here, in consequence, some Hon has become very difficult and another site must, 



in consequence, be found in order that timber may be 

 provided for the construction of mission buildings, 



forest is still standing, but it is not first class rain 



forest, but rather a second class foothill type. I have 

 never been quite satisfied with the designation "foot- 

 hill forest" which I give to the Quercus type met with 



boats and all manner of things. 



The Marienberg 



everywhere on the lower slopes of the ranges. 

 intrusion of rain forest species is so 



great 



forest I did not regard as sufficiently interesting to 



The make a survey, but the Father in charge of the Mis- 



that one sion expected to get three Afzelias to the hectare from 



finds it hard to say whether the forest is a foothill one it, which is fair quality forest for this species. I went 

 or a second class stunted rain forest. At the back of up the Sepik for 290 miles in search of forests. Inter- 

 Stephansort there is an absence of the usual foothill esting as this expedition was it was from a forestry 



species proper, and I am inclined to regard the vegeta- 

 tion as rain forest w 7 hich, owing to poor soil or steep 

 slopes, has not attained its usual dimensions. The 



viewpoint, very disappointing. From 36 miles to 236 

 miles there are no forests at all, the whole basin of the 

 Sepik is one vast swamp. The banks are, for short 



stocking is about the same as that met with at Vei- distances, high enough to carry crops in the dry sea- 



mauri, above Galley Reach in Papua. The country son — crops which require no fences from wild pigs, 



was crossed by three routes in my search for a good these pests being unable to live in such a country — 



stand of timber, but none was found and no survey was and here and there a stilt strutted village is perched 



made. A detailed account of the journeys across the on the narrow water-logged ridges in the green expanse 



coastal hills to the Eamu is given in appendix. 



From Stephansort to Madang the forest conditions 



are similar 



and thence along the coast to the Eamu 



and Sepik one sees only the usual second growth, witl 

 here and there a small patch of high forest or a fe^v 



of grass-covered swamp. Sometimes the great river 

 changes its course and throws up a new bank, leaving 

 the old one with its village and husbandry marooned 

 on a lagoon, which, was once the river bed, and which 

 now is connected precariously to the main stream by 



old giant trees. Man living just within his environ- one or two narrow channels. In the rain season the 



ment has cultivated food where timber grew and he is 1>anks are awash and canoes are the sole means of 



still able, without entirely oversetting nature's balance, communication, while in the dry weather it is a matter 



to reap his crops and sow again, relying on the weed- of canoes and mud wading. It is little wonder that 



tree second growth to restore the plant foods his taro, tlie men of tliese P arts wear no clothes at all and the 



yam and sweet potatoes have absorbed. He is not a women the absolute minimum. In some places a bank 



vigorous person hereahouts and his family is controlled is lli S h enough to escape inundation even in the wet 



naturally — for self control is hardly to be expected of 

 him and artificial control, in spite of the stories cur- 

 rent, is almost as unthinkable — so there is little danger 



apples and 



season. Here there is always a large village and the 



people plant trees — coco-nuts, rose 



other fruit trees, and often for ornament the com- 



of these folk, with their low birth-rate, turning their mon Erythrina. The food of the people is mainly sago 



food lands into grass lands like their virile brothers which tll0 J obtain up the tributaries, of which there 

 and sisters in the Markham, or like the Binraideles of are a P" eat number. I was not able to explore any of 

 the northern division of Papua. tliese, but from all accounts the swamp conditions pre- 



I did not visit the volcanic islands of Karkow, Man- ™ U m ' t[ \ th f hi " s ar ! cached, which in some cases are 



ham or the smaller islands that lie all along this coast *° Ti • Gi : owlll g ] \ ere and thcre ™ banks above 



line, but from all accounts there was nothing remark- flood level I s a curious oil bearing tree. Kwata (Camp- 



able in their forest flora. Some of the islands are still f^™ breyipetiolata No 785), The oil exude- 



active volcanoes and Manham, for example, has large fr ? m the ™ od a l ld tlie trunk 1S ta PP ed \7 the natl ™ 



valleys altogether burnt out by the hot lava streams. who P riz * the oil as an unguent and a detergent. It 



- - smells rather like the oil obtained from the tree on the 



K-» 



s 



Bam too is so active that no one lives in it, and nightly S ™ ° U ? ™ llG J 11Ke / lie ° 11 opined irom tlie tree on tlie 

 it i* nrowiiPfl with « Mil hftln wli.'lo all A+l <**««* ™™i£ Bar01 i 1 entaspodon Motleyi, No. 304), but it has no 



blistering properties and can be used as a body smear, 



which is its main use, I gathered. The oil does not 



STfflOT&Vll^ ? x . U(le q™*to for i* takes two mo ™ s t0 fil1 a bamboo 



it is crowned with a red halo, while all day great mush- 

 rooms of cloud-like smoke 

 replaced by another cloud. 



rise, hang and vanish to be 

 Between tlie Madang and 



joint. 



ing the great valley of the Kamu from the sea, gradu- 

 ally drops until, on nearing the mouth, the land is At 230 miles up the Sepik, the Iiunstein range ap- 

 quite flat and the usual swamp vegetation is met with, pears on both sides and here forests are once more met 

 Though I have not crossed the .Dividing Kange north with. The quality is, however, poor and there is a 



total absence of the best type of rain forest trees, their 

 place being taken by a poor growth of medium sized 

 species of a semi foothill character. This range rises 

 to 70(7 feet, but I was unable to find anv forests of 

 value on the slopes or crest. Cultivation has not been 

 heavy, the people having apparently contented them- 



of Madang and, indeed, my knowledge of the country 

 hereabouts is purely coastal, I do not think that any 

 timber forests of importance will be found in the Range 

 or on the slopes going down to the valley of the Ramu. 



The Sepik. 



As will he soon from the map, the month of tlio selves with riverhank gardens. A little higher up the 

 Ramu and Sepik rivers are barely 12 miles apart, and village or villages of Yesa crowns an offshoot of the 



