280. The Introduced Plants growing wild without Cultivation. 
Section V. 
The Effect of Settlement upon the Plant-Covering of 
New Zealand. I 
Mans Introduced Plants 5 wild without Cultivation, 
1. General. 
In what has gone before an attempt has been made to give a picture of 
the plant-covering of primeval New Zealand without regard to that of the 
region at the present time. In this section, on the contrary, certain aspects 
=. ‚ofthe vegetation, as it now exists, will be briefly dealt with, and some of the 
fundamental causes discussed which have operated to Eniig about the vast 
difference between the New Zealand of 1769 and that of ı920. On this im- 
portant subject a good deal has been written, some of which contains import- 
ant data and luminous suggestions, but, on the other hand, erroneous state- 
ments have been accepted as truths and misconc&ptions Et into authoritative 
scientific writings’). 
At the time of Cook’s first visit, except for changes wrought by the ab- 
origenes, the vegetation was intact and the flora contained no aliens. To what 
extent the native race had altered primitive New Zealand it is not possible to 
termine but although the population may have considerably exceeded 100 ‚000, 
its influence on the vegetation would be trifling. Here and there, clearings 
ee ‚made in the forest, or heath, for cultivations ®), but these were quite 
Be and er new sombinations of species would arise on the cleared 
“ d n aba >d, no permanent associations®) of physiognomic import- 
ance a: ae On the other hand, judging from the observations of 
ANKS®) fie Mahri a to have made considerable use of fire for clearing 
R.V \ in New Zenlasid there are more di 250 species of natura- 
er more Kiss 100 species of which have spread widely over the connfr 
displacı ee native eye! and. Ed. a: ah “r on Fi 28, 29 ii 
