WAYS OF THE WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 1 (Supplement)

WAYS OF THE WILD.

A NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK. THE KDMAKfI, .: (By A. T. PYCKOFT.)' . I Although commonly celled Hio sweet potato, the kumara is not a :•••.■: - iber of the -splanum family, but la a convolvulus. Cheeseman states the native coun- . try of the kumafa- is uncertain. Some ■ . species of the convolvulus family were introduced into England in 1587. Thesweet potato at that time was cultivated in America, the West Indies and Eastern Asia, and probably had been cultivated for centuries before. It is now cultivated ■ in all warm climates.

The Maoris state that when their ancestors arrived in New Zealand they; found no kumaras. They therefore made an expedition back to their old home among the Pacific Islands to secure a supply for cultivation. It is said ,thafc one.expedition sailed from the Bay of Plenty many generations ago in order-to. obtain seed tubers. ." ■*-'..•

■ The kumara constituted the chief vege» table food of the Maori when the country first became known to: Europeans, and it is extensively gr'own, but has no claim to be included among the indigenous species of convolvulus. Elsdon Best save, as with the potato (solanum tuberosum), the kumara (ipbmoea batatas), shows many different varieties, the result of many centuries of cultivation; he has obtained nearly one hundred names of varieties collected in different parts of the north; doubtless there aro many, duplicate names among them.' That there, were many varieties of kuinaras is cerr

tain.- Some authorities say as.many as fifty. Most of these varieties are now lost; they were much smaller than the modern introduced varieties and were finger-shaped. The kumara 'is not a flowering plant,; but a flowering specimen has been recorded from Whangaroaj the blossom resembling that of the wild convolvulus. It is recorded by an East Coast authority that a variety has been known to flower there. The introduced varieties are'larger and. apparently more hardy than tbo old Maori varieties. ' The introduced waina is said to be the easiest grown; it can be propagated from the runners, hendb its name; which is our word vine. The late Archdeacon Walsh says with the primitive Maoris the kumara stood in a - class by itself/ above and apart from everything else. As the mainstay of life'it was regarded with, the- greatest respect and veneration. It was celebrated in song and story and proverb. Its cultivation and treatment called forth the utmost care and ingenuity and were accompanied by the strictest and most elaborate religious observances. Best says all agricultural peoples have in past days devoted much ceremonial .to their principal food product, were it wheat," rice, maize or any other plant.' The Maori, also ,in common with other peoples, instituted a tutelary deity of Ha prized product and also a feminine "mother" of that tuber, a form of Geres. Its origin is\ assigned to those beings. Soil and Situation. ' . Almost any soil will suit the-kumara, so long as'the situation is dry and the plants are not exposed to the. cold southerly winds or to the spring and autumn frosts. The heaviest crops ara obtained on the sand and shingle terraces above high water-mark on the sea coast arid on-the low river flats: The volcanic lands-scattered throughout the northern , peninsula, where not too stony, offered every advantage, and the extent to which the cultivation on these was carried on : may'be-judged from the large areas on which the blocks of scoria have been, gathered and piled into heaps to make room for the crop. Women took an important part in the heavy labour of carrying this sand on their backs to' the. cultivations. On some of the outlying islands off the, East Coast of the North Island heaps of stones are to be seen. . Forest trees are Bometimes growing in the areas free from stone, where no doubt the kumara was at one time cultivated. ' i.

■ ' ' ' Cultivation., In preparing a piece of land for cultivation. W-alah tells us the labour inust have been almost incredible.. The whole surface of the country was covered either with bush, fern or manuka, except perhaps on some of the river flats, and even these had to be cleared of a rank growth of rushes, toetoe.. flax bushes and other

plants. Tie work was always done in tho late autumn, when the weather was dry .and. the noil in • r-nitaMe condition for working. Fire was the principal, agency for preliminary operations. In. breaking up new land the'principal implement used was the ko, a kind of longhandled spade, consisting of a' pole of hardwood, sharpened to a wedge-shaped point and furnished with a foot rest, or tread, lashed to one side with flax sinnets from about, twelve to eighteen inches from the bottom, according to the depth. , the land was to be dug. ■ .. The men ivith their kos- worked- iri line, making a v continuous cut about one foot or eighteen; inches back from the face; according to the nature of the soil Using the implement as a lever, the whole sod was turned over. The women and cluldren followed, breaking up the sods with wooden implements of various patterns. " When the soil was worked, up fine and made perfectly clean, it was formed up into little round hills about nine jnches high and two feet in. diameter, set quite c?ose together. ■' ' «lJ tn f l l nti W usually commenced about October, and extended more or lees ?£„ ? h " stmas ' according to the varia-lion-of the season, the state of the weather, the locality, and the. conditoa ° f , the so ' •, -The.seed consisted of the f these w, WCre f too « Sman t0 be eat it these were,not sufficient, they were * tlm Zi con! taming the the lanrer ones brokenoff for the purpose ' ornnu WOrk of cle *™g ' the growing M a comparatively light one in weedi ttjV s the hOSt Of -troublesome pmThv , t . hat l h! l ve accompanied-European cultnation had not to be contended with. One weeding was -sufficient. Care was taken to prevent the vines from rooting on the surface, as this was found to. reduce'the strength of the plant. With the exception of-the hotete, a caterpillar about two and a-half to three inches long, the kumara does not seem to lave had many insect enemies. . These caterpillars' were abhorred PJT the ilaoris, collected, 'and burnt. Harvesting was done about March or April, a dry, sunshiny day being chosen. TJm storing of the crop reguired the greatest care and judgmerit to preserve the stock until next p£nting-time. ■ Mb called ruas were generally used—they ate frequently called Maori h> es by tho colonists, and are plentiful in many localities .Small houses called patakas vere' also used. .Sometimes, these natetas wereset.on Jegs. : ; A-very fine "becimen bfthe pntaka.will.be exhibited the j Auckland .-Museum. -■/ ; ■..-' . ■ .■ ■.■.H"'-.r"-'- ' - Aj^tm.'