NEW ZEALAND. 435 



continuous level tract of as much as a hundred acres, is on the farm 

 of Mr. Clendon on Manawa Bay. The sterility of the soil is not the 

 only obstacle the agriculturist has to contend with. The fern, of 

 which we have spoken, springs up the moment the forest is re- 

 moved, and covers the land with a dense vegetation. Ploughing 

 is not sufficient to extirpate it, for it Avill spring again from the 

 severed roots, and choke the grain. It can only be completely 

 eradicated by removing it by hand and burning it. The ashes 

 are then spread upon the ground, and are found, to be a good 

 manure. In this manner the sons of Mr. Williams the missionary, 

 at Pahia, are endeavouring to bring a farm they possess into cultiva- 

 tion. Natives are employed in the labour, and they have in this way 

 cleared several acres. 



The fern, from its size and strength, is supposed to indicate a fertile 

 soil ; but this is not the fact, for I have seen nearly a thousand acres 

 in a body covered with a growth of it six feet in height, where the 

 ground was deemed fit for no pxirpose but to furnish brick-clay. So 

 densely do the ferns grow, that it is impossible to force a way through 

 them, and the only mode of traversing the country where they abound, 

 is by following the native paths. These pursue the high ground and 

 ridges, and have branches which lead to the neighbouring cultivated 

 spots. The moment the culture of the land is neglected, the fern 

 again makes its appearance. 



The clayey soils afford only a scanty growth of grass, which is 

 scarcely fit for pasture, and indeed there appear to be no native 

 grasses. In the more fertile soils, red clover, according to Mr. Brack- 

 enridge, does well ; and he believes that white clover would succeed 

 on the hills, which are now bare. The climate is favourable to the 

 growth of the foreign grasses. 



After the fern has been burnt and the ashes spread, a crop of 

 wheat is raised, and the land is laid down in grass. To give an idea 

 of the produce of land near the Bay of Islands, we may cite the 

 instance of Captain Wright's farm, which is eligibly situated, and is 

 considered as possessing a fertile soil. He had twenty acres in 

 wheat, whose average product was only fourteen bushels per acre. 



Among the foreign fruits which have been introduced, are apples, 

 peaches, and grapes. The latter grow best in the volcanic soils, but 

 the climate is considered to be too moist to permit them to attain per- 

 fection. The peaches are fine, but the propensity of the natives to 

 pluck them before they are ripe, prevents them from attaining their 

 full flavour. Cape gooseberries are plentiful, but the common 



