My New Zealand Garden 55 



front as one glides along the water. Maoris 

 coming down-stream in their canoes, bringing 

 produce, are very picturesque, and give the scene 

 a finishing touch exactly its own. The number 

 of Quinces that they bring down is surprising. 

 Wild Cherries, which are excellent, they also bring, 

 but not an abundant supply. I am afraid that 

 Maoris are not very good gardeners at least, I 

 have never heard of their flower-growing propen- 

 sities ; and when they weed they often sit down 

 and clear as far round as they can reach, and then 

 move on and repeat the process. They grow the 

 Sweet Potato, which is the Yam proper, I believe, 

 but it does not exceed an average Potato in size. 

 Mine were smaller; they rather outwitted my 

 gardening powers. The plants run along the 

 ground, and it seems more like cultivating Con- 

 volvuluses, which the leaves resemble. I kept on 

 taking off cuttings and planting them, as I was 

 told, and I was not sure when the process should 

 cease. We have also a mottled purple and a 

 black Potato, but neither look very encouraging, 

 and the flavour varies little from the type. 



On some of the snow mountains is to be seen, 

 growing to perfection, the largest and handsomest 

 Ranunculus in the world (R. Lyallii), of which 

 Mr. and Mrs. Featon remark in their ' Art Album 

 of New Zealand Flora ' : ' The most graphic 

 description would fail to give an adequate idea.' 



