Transactiofis. — Miscellaneom. 



looked so remarkably healthy with its numerous leaves, large white flowers 

 and fruit, the latter often of all sizes, from that of a cricket ball up to that 

 of a globular, pear-shaped, or spheroidal figure, capable of holding several 

 gallons. As an article of food it was only used when young, and always 

 cooked — baked like the kumara and taro, in their common earth-oven — and 

 eaten, like them, both hot and cold. Prodigious numbers of them were 

 formerly daily consumed in the summer season. It was from this plant 

 that the Maoris obtained all their useful vessels, for holding water, oils, 

 cooked animal food, etc. This was done by carefully drying and hardening 

 the fully matured fruits with the heat of the sun and fire, and just as care- 

 fully scooping out all their contents, through a small hole made near the 

 stalk end. In the very small calabashes so made, they kept their perfumed 

 oils, and rouge, for anointing ; of the medium sized and large ones they 

 made useful dishes, and all their common water calabashes, while the few 

 very largest were neatly manufactured into pots for holding preserved and 

 potted birds. For this purpose the stalk end was cut off, and it was ingeni- 

 ously fitted with a hollow cylindrical neck of carved hard wood, cut out of 

 one piece, and always made large enough to admit a man's hand through it ; 

 this was firmly fixed on above, while below, the rotund vase was also fitted 

 with three (or four) legs to stand on, and to keep it from off the ground. 

 These big vessels were always prized and taken great care of, sometimes 

 they were named, and some lasted a whole generation or longer, and were 

 handed down as heirlooms. 



4. Another plant which was also cultivated by the old Maoris as an 

 article of food, was the tiipara, a species of Cordyline; this was propagated 

 by its side-shoots and suckers. Its thick succulent stem, as big as, 

 or bigger than, that of a very large cabbage or brocoli, was cooked and 

 eaten. In these parts, however (Hawke's Bay), it has become very rare ; 

 indeed, I only know of the plants now growing in my own garden ; which 

 I raised from a single plant I found in an old Maori cultivation belonging 

 to the father of the present aged chief Tareha, in 1845. I have had some 

 dozen of plants from it, and although they were very healthy and grew well, 

 not one of them ever flowered ! in this respect resembling both the 

 kumara and taro. It grows to 4-5 feet in height, never quite erect ; and 

 then it sends out suckers from below ground and from its stem, and dies. 

 Thirty years ago, whenever some of the oldest chiefs here should happen to 

 see this plant growing in my garden, they would invariably longingly beg 

 for its stems to cook for a meal, saying hov/ much they liked it. Its leaf is 

 shorter and broader and of a finer texture than that of C. australis, with 

 slightly recurved edges, and its bark is also much thinner, and smooth, 

 not rugged. I sent specimens of it (leaves only) to Dr. Sir J. D. Hooker, 



