472 Transactions. — Botany. 



a starting-point for the fires, which spread into and kill some 

 portion of the adjacent standing bush. And, as wherever the 

 fire has once passed it will pass again while there is anything 

 left to burn, before very long, in districts where clearings are 

 frequent, the whole bush is consumed, with the exception, 

 perhaps, of that which stands in the lower and damper 

 situations, or which, from the conformation of the country, is 

 protected from the sweep of the flames. In this way, in a 

 comparatively few years, immense areas of magnificent forest 

 have been entirely destroyed in many of the more settled 

 districts, while in others the work is going on more or less 

 rapidly and completely, according to the nature of the bush 

 and the climatic and other conditions. 



3. Hoio far will the Destruction extend, dx. ? 



Now, the question is, How far will this destruction ex- 

 tend, and what will be the ultimate condition of the portion 

 that escapes ? It may be broadly stated : (1) That below a 

 certain altitude, varying according to locality, climate, and 

 aspect, wherever the soil is fairly fertile, the bush once re- 

 moved will never reappear ; (2) that in elevated and barren 

 country, especially in cold and moist situations, the bush has 

 a fair prospect of remaining practically in its virgin condition ; 

 (3) while between the two the battle will be fought with vary- 

 ing success, and that, though considerable portions will escape 

 extinction, they will undergo a gradual but very complete 

 alteration in character and appearance. Each of these pro- 

 positions may be considered in detail : — 



(1.) In open fertile situations, under favourable climatic 

 conditions, all burnt land is soon covered with a thick " sole " 

 of grass, in which even were a seedling tree to spring up it 

 would be immediately eaten or trodden down. In new clear- 

 ings in this class of country a few trees will probably survive 

 for a time in the imperfectly burnt patches, or a light second 

 growth come up amongst the stumps and logs in spots beyond 

 the reach of cattle. But unless permanently protected by 

 some inequality of the ground, as in the case of steep ravines, 

 river-banks, &c., they will gradually disappear as the animals 

 push their way through the rotting timber, and as the fire once 

 more overruns the place, which it is sure to do so long as any 

 considerable portion of the dead stuff remains. This is what 

 may be seen in all its stages on any bush farm, and is taking 

 place on a large scale throughout the districts of Taranaki, 

 Manawatu, parts of the Wellington and Nelson Provinces, and 

 the x'^karoa Peninsula, where practically the native bush is a 

 thing of the past, and where in a few years, when the stumps 

 and logs have disappeared, the country will be as clear and 

 open as the Napier or Canterbury Plains. 



