168 TUTIRA 



and terraced the caved hillsides, scattered representatives of these 

 native grasses had also appeared. The paddock, moreover, was now 

 lined from end to end with innumerable sheep-paths, on the edges 

 of which the above-mentioned grasses had also managed, very thinly 

 and very sparsely, to establish themselves. 



The thickets of tutu had been annihilated, whilst here and 

 there could be seen isolated manuka plants forerunners of the 

 coming invasion. The bracken itself had suffered in the long engage- 

 ment with man and beast; its exuberance of vitality was gone. 

 The treading of the lands for several years with thousands of sheep 

 had given it a preliminary shock ; nor, from the point of view of 

 the station, had the crushing operation been an entire failure. 

 Though it had not realised our hopes, yet there had taken place a 

 substantial increase in the number of sheep carried even though 

 that number had been wintered but for a couple or three seasons. 

 During the maximum period of expansion the Rocky Staircase had 

 wintered 1900 head, a total, however, diminishing, with the increase 

 of bracken growth, to 300. 



The third period in the annals of the Rocky Staircase began in '96. 

 When in the autumn of that year the paddock was again fired, it 

 was found that progressive movements had taken place along each 

 of the lines noted formerly. The surface no longer remained alto- 

 gether void and black ; hundreds of thousands of cotyledons opened 

 fresh and green in the vicinity of the heavily manured, densely 

 grassed sheep-camps, on slopes beneath the narrow strips of native 

 turf, and along the winding stock - tracks. Especially had Thistles, 

 Suckling clover, Cape-weed, Mouse-ear chickweed, Houtawai, and Manuka 

 multiplied themselves. There was an increase, moreover, in species as 

 well as in numbers of individual plants. This great multiplication 

 of other vegetative life than bracken was owing partly to the less 

 fierce fire consequent on the less thick growth of fern. Seeds lying 

 on the surface had not been wholly destroyed by heat and flames. 

 Winged seeds, moreover, had been blown in greater profusion from 

 a larger area of handled land on eastern Tutira. Lastly, pig 

 had been destroyed ; the camps were no longer wastes of over- 

 turned sod. 



In addition to increase in cotyledons, a considerable number of 

 plants also had survived the fire. They were chiefly grasses such 



