Guthrie-Smith. — Grasses of Tutira. 511 



of the eighties ; and hardly later appear the cotyledon leaves 

 of clover, trefoil, pelargonium, geranium, silene, capeweed, &c. 

 Poa pratensis perhaps shows up last, though not least satis- 

 factorily, as this grass is better suited than any other alien grass 

 to stand alternate smothering and fire. Seedling fog, cocksfoot, 

 Danthonia, Dichelachne crinita, break through the soil, and 

 finally appear millions of circinate fern-fronds. 



During the years succeeding such a fire, and on such quality 

 of soil, the fern gradually succeeds in covering the worst, or at 

 any rate the softest, part of the land, and everywhere the seed- 

 ling manuka has come up thick — it is impossible to eat the fern 

 out thoroughly, as then there would be only manuka left, com- 

 pletely putting a stop to future burning. Then, as time passes, 

 and the surface becomes less open, stock " work " it less. 



Lastly, after four or five years, the red-clover has been well- 

 nigh eaten out ; the white-clover and trefoil has been smothered ; 

 the grasses have disappeared from the valleys ; only the long 

 soft plumes of Dichelachne crinita pierce the sea of fern-fronds ; 

 and the sheep-camps are deep in tall seeding cocksfoot and fog. 

 Last stage of all in this eventful history, the country again 

 becomes " rough " enough to " carry a fire." 



On this type of soft spongy pumiceous soil at each successive 

 fire the net result is a slight increase of native grass on the hill- 

 tops, an increase of manuka, and a lessened growth of fern 

 throughout the whole block. Twenty-five years ago there was 

 scarcely any manuka on Tutira, or the small patches that did 

 exist were confined to the most sterile flats. The limestone 

 or conglomerate lands, however, take grass well, and real turf 

 exists on the steeper Tutira hills, and on the Maungahararu 

 tops. • 



By examination of the turf on — A, hill-tops (other than sheep- 

 camps) and upper slopes (Tutira) ; B, the lower more fertile 

 foot-hills or flats (Tutira) ; C, hill-tops (Maungahararu), sown 

 in the sixties, we shall get a fair idea of the proportion and 

 varieties of grass carried, and the admixture of clover, trefoil, 

 Carex, rush, and weed. 



On acre A we shall discover traces of rye and white-clover, 

 and cocksfoot and fog, this last thickest on the damper slopes ; 

 Poa pratensis, well established ; goose-grass, often much stunted 

 and depauperated ; Festuca myuros ; Aira caryophylla ; perhaps 

 a little crested dogstail and a little florin ; Danthonia semi- 

 annularis, an important constituent, and Microloena stipoides, 

 another important constituent ; Danthonia pilosa, on the 

 hardest, driest spots ; Trijolium minus, a valuable plant ; 

 T. arvense, worthless. There will be several members of the 

 Carex family, notably C. Colensoi, which is spreading fast, and 



