768 THE FLORA OF NORFOLK ISLAND, 



When ground on the Island is ploughed, the Cape Gooseberry 

 {Physalis peruvia7ia) first comes up abundantly, and this is suc- 

 ceeded by the Castor-oil plant. But these are not the worst 

 weeds. The four following weeds occur in incredible profusion, 

 and I may say that never in the whole course of my experience 

 have I come across such a place for weeds as Norfolk Island. It 

 affords a striking and sad example of the way in which an 

 interesting endemic vegetation is becoming overwhelmed with 

 introduced plants. The four principal weeds alluded to are : — 



1. Tobacco (Solanum auriculatuni]. 



2. Poison [Solanum sodom(fum). 



3. Acacia [Cassia Ictvigata). 



4. Red Salvia (Salvia jjseudococcinea). 



Making every allowance for the islanders, I still feel that they 

 do not make adequate efforts to keep the weeds in check. From 

 all that I could gather, the islanders are something of fatalists in 

 the matter of weeds. Even the cemetery at Emily Bay is over- 

 grown in the rankest manner. There are weeds from the sea- 

 level to the very summit of Mt. Pitt. In many cases they should 

 be mown down persistently with a scythe, while in a flowering 

 state; they should not be allowed to seed; then they should be 

 ploughed in and sown with grasses. A few years of intelligently 

 directed energ}^ would make a marvellous difference in the stock- 

 carrying capacity of the land and in its general appearance. 



The rolling downs of the Island are park-like and marvellously 

 beautiful, but they are marred by weeds. Still the beautiful 

 appearance of well weeded park-land may be seen in part of the 

 Mission Station, where, of course, there is much more labour 

 available than in most parts of the Island. 



As regards Salvia 2:fseudococcinpa (see p. 763), we have an object- 

 lesson which the islanders would do well to ponder. If a plant 

 once gets the upper hand, it may become a serious weed. There- 

 fore, watch garden-escapes. Watch the plants which come up 

 with a crop, the result of dirty seed. No amount of foresight 

 can prevent these escapes showing themselves", but ordinary fore- 

 sight can prevent their becoming a pest. Tobacco was doubtless 



