THE FOREST OF THE PAST 49 



These survivors of an altogether different vegetative covering still 

 manage to exist on modern Tutira though stunted and depauperated. 



Although, however, there can be no question as to the existence 

 of this former forest, its duration in time, date of disappearance, and 

 cause of decay are problems not so easy to solve. Even taking into 

 account the fact that subterranean soakage has stolen away the 

 manurial values of leaves, branches, and bark even, I say, taking that 

 into account, it seems extraordinary that soils for any time under 

 forest should have become so barren in so brief a time. Nine-tenths 

 of Tutira have been unable to support ryegrass for a single season, 

 yet it is certain that forest had not long disappeared off the face of the 

 ground when settlement took place. 



That soil and subsoil do not seem anywhere to have been 

 thoroughly intermixed, throws but little light on the question of the 

 duration in time of this primeval forest. As has been explained, more 

 often than not trees do not fall when dead, they decay upright, the 

 great boughs snapping indeed with age and weight of epiphytic and 

 parasitic growths, the stem as often as not mouldering away, devoured 

 by insect life and torn to bits by birds. Admixture of humus, pumice 

 grit, and red sand has taken place no doubt to a certain extent, yet the 

 yellow hummock material exposed by the overthrow of a fire-swept forest 

 shows distinctly different from the top twelve inches. 



In regard to date of disappearance, the oldest natives I have 

 questioned men of eighty or ninety have no recollection them- 

 selves of great forest fires, nor have the memories of such events 

 been handed down in tribal history. It is probable that no huge 

 conflagration has occurred, but that the disappearance of the old-time 

 forest has been piecemeal. This negative evidence of a tardy retro- 

 gression is borne out by the amount and by the condition of timber in 

 various parts of the run. The differences can best be illustrated by 

 portioning the station into imaginary belts of equal width. Thus, 

 throughout the most coastward belt, little surface timber will be found 



o 



to remain even on sites favourable to its preservation. Another belt, 

 more inland, will furnish surface timber in small quantities, bog timber 

 and a profusion of hummocks with roots completely rotted. A third 

 belt, still farther away from the coast, will provide a greater amount 

 of both surface and bog timber ; hummock markings are rather less 

 worn with wind, frost, and rain, roots and stumps are not altogether 



D 



