9 
of little commercial value, are nevertheless important its keeping 
the forest in a compact state, and thereby preventing an over free 
circulation of air, which would be injurious to the germination 
of seeds, and even to the projjer growth of the trees themselves. 
This undergrowth also assists in keeping the forest floor in a pro- 
per state for the reception of seed, and maintains the general 
humidity of the air by preventing too rapid absorbtion, and 
those species peculiar to- the .forests of the Settlements, so 
far as they have come to my notice, I have added to the Appen- 
dix with the names of the principal palms and plants of the 
fern tribe met with during my forest tour. See Appendix A. 
37. I also give a list of creepers aud other plants inju- 
rious to forest growth. The- first of these which I will men- 
tion are those most commonly found, the stronger of which 
climb to the tops of the highest trees^and ultimately cover 
and kill them. Others grow less strongly, and are danger- 
ous to the trees only during the first ten or twenty years of 
their existence. Others, again, are found chiefly on the out- 
skirts of woods where they hang only to the lower branches. 
Others are peculiar as finding their way quickly upon laud, 
which has been cultivated and lately abandoned. These latter 
generally give most trouble, as they lay hold of the young 
trees which spring from seed or such as are planted, and soon 
choke and kill them if not speedily removed by the Forester. 
See Appendix A. 
38. There is also a tribe of plants very common in the 
forests of the island which are sometimes epiphytal, but more 
often parasitical, the roots of which penetrate the branches of 
the trees and feed upon the sap intended for the nourishment 
of the legitimate leaves and branches. I noticed some trees 
covered with these parasites in the forests of the island, 
sometimes to the exclusion of every leaf except those of the 
parasite itself. Trees so covered soon die. It is curious, too, 
to witness the great rapidity with which parasites of this 
nature travel from tree to tree ; their rapid distribution is said 
to be facilitated by birds which feed upon the seeds and drop 
them undigested upon the branches. See Appendix A, 
39. Having already made mention of the area of waste 
lands and the nature of their distribution, I refer to them 
here only to show how far protection without artificial 
planting is likely to he effectual in the afforestation of them. 
A list of the young trees found to have crept into some 
waste lands abandoned about five years ago is given, but I 
may mention that of the species enumerated only two kinds 
are worth protecting, and these occur but rarely. The only 
thing which seems to grow freely for sometime after gambier 
cultivation is simply grass (i talcing ), and the result is that 
there is hardly to be found any land, the forest growth on 
which would grow into a serviceable plantation with the aid of 
protection only. This is a great drawback, and shews the sad 
condition into which a wild and unrestrained cultivation has 
brought the island. But on the other hand, I have further 
examined these waste lands with a view to finding out the 
depth to which the impoverished soil extends, and found it 
to be only the surface covering of a depth of about a foot or 
* so. Below this, the soil is of ordinary good quality, and when 
turned up grows crops satisfactorily, and there is, therefore, 
every hope of forests being established on such lands, and of 
the plants growing with their usual vigour, after the roots 
have penetrated beyond the surface covering, and with such 
a mode of cultivation, as would turn down the exhausted 
surface soil, and turn up that which underlies it, as is done iff 
See Appendix A. 
