1835. 



COUNTRY CULTIVATION. 



599 



remarkable than hills — every where verdant, in many places 

 wooded, and intersected by numerous streams of water — 

 pleased by its supposed capabilities, though not by the pic- 

 turesqueness of its appearance. From seeing the remains of 

 forest, or rather irregular-looking woods, in a variety of situa- 

 tions — at the summits of hills, as well as in the hollows of 

 vallies ; and from the prevalence of fern instead of grass, I was 

 led to think that the whole land had once been thickly wooded, 

 but that the natives had cleared away the trees by burning. 



We passed by a native village, around which were many 

 acres of well cultivated ground, with maize and potatoes in a 

 thriving state. They were planted in little heaps of earth (like 

 mole-hills), at exact distances, laid out by line. For planting 

 the sweet potato (cumera), a kind of yam (taro), or the lately 

 introduced potato, a wooden stake is used as a substitute for a 

 spade, in preparing the ground. The natives acknowledge 

 themselves much indebted to the w^hite men for pigs and pota- 

 toes ; but they speak angrily of the 'liquid fire"* — and diseases 

 which they brought. One old native also made a shrewd remark 

 about certain seven-barrelled guns sent among them by some of 

 our countrymen, even while others were preaching the gospel 

 of peace, and trying to check their inclination to quarrel. 



Abundance of the flax plant was growing on the low moist 

 ground, and also on higher, apparently dry soil. I was told 

 that the flax plant does not like a swamp, but thrives where 

 the ground is rather moist. With leaves like those of an iris 

 or large lily, whence the fibres are obtained which are ' called ' 

 flax, this plant has always been of great consequence to the 

 natives. Those immense nets which are mentioned in the 

 faithfully descriptive accounts of Cook, are made with the 

 leaves split into long narrow shreds, not scraped or peeled. 

 For the manufacture of smaller cordage and thread, the leaves 

 are scraped by a shell, which removes the upper or green part 

 and leaves the strong white fibres, that run longitudinally 

 along the under side. With these fibres, in less or greater 

 numbers, and twisted more or less, the New Zealand cordage 

 has been made, which was so much liked at its first intro- 



