NATURE STUDY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 December 1924, Page 16

NATURE STUDY.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

“Hori.” Our Yvhareroa correspondent writes: ■A’our fiigniy interesting euntribauir ‘Hori' refers to the Local absence of the cicada insect or late years, bat this does not altogether appi-y throughout the district, lor the siuio syren of this diminutive locust may he heard occasionally in hot weather in -these parts. Tney are extiemeiy daficult to locate, although their striduiit song can be lieaid for a. great distance. [The cicada is possessed of ventri.dquistie powers, and if disturbed will sometimes, by moderating the power of its song, make it appear as if the insect had shifted from its original position. Ciose__ inspection will generally reveal that it is still sitting in the same place. Hori.] insect life in general seems oo be especially manifest this season. Spiders of heroic size (I have never seen larger, except in museums. than the local garden-spiders) abound. Bees, too, notwithstanding • that special legislation lias overturned the old women’s hives, dash in all directions in the sunshine ar murmur through the clover, doing immeasurable benefit co tlie pastures. Seeing that the number of wild bees, particularly in the back country, is as thousands to one in comparison to the box-hived ones, it is difficult to> see how special treatment of the comparatively few commercial apiaries can possibly affect the prevalence of bee diseases (if such exist among those, living in the high; pure air of the tree tops). Far away n the virgin bush these latter exist ill countless millions, . gathering. their golden store from the scented haurangi, konini and wineberry; and this joy of die forest, luckily, no man can take away. A local farmer, in mowing, his hay paddock, discovered a nest containing ten eggs from which a wild duck rose. From the description it was evidently the variety known as the “gray” duck, but I have never known these timid waterfowl to nest on high land before. Unfortunately our friend allowed the eggs to get cold, otherwise they might have been incubated or placed under a broody hen. Perhaps the prevalence of ferrets and stoats, particularly plentiful hereabouts, has induced the wild ducks to alter thenr brooding habitat.”

Though the cabbage tree (Cordyline Australis)) is one of the most corrimolt specimens of New Zealand flora it is •me of the most striking in appearance. The name “cabbage tree” is a misnomer, and a more appropriate one should have been rightly given to it of a palm lily. Like the nikau palm the cabbage tree will withstand push fires wonderfully, and generally after a. burn has taken place m the course of clearing the land in clays, gone by these stately trees and .the nikau, together with many tree ferns were almost the only ones that were left with any life in them.

The cabbage tree is well known to be possessed of wonderful tenacity m life, and though the trees may be cut down to the ground they will soon .afterwards send out new shoots, and if allowed to grow again will in a shore time become once more stately tikes, though generally of a branching. nature.. Even if a tree is felled and the ttuiik allowed to remain on the ground for any length of time the tree will soon begin to grow. It is recorded that on one occasion a bushman used several cabbage tree trunks for use as a chimney for his whare, and for mite a long time they were subjected’to the heat and smoke of the fire. The whare was discarded after the bushfelliiig contract was finished. Some settlers on visiting the locality later on discovered that the trees were bursting out into leaf.

The timber of the cabbage tree is no use for fire wood or building purposes, out the opinion has often been expressed that the fibrous nature of the wood might be turned to commercial use in the: manufacture of paper pulp it sufficient quantities were available. The flowers of the cabbage tree have been greatly in evidence" during this season, and the perfume emitted is ve'y frag ant The bees visit them'a deal in quest of honey. In the bush the native pigeons feed .on the milky white berries.

Two very fine specimens grace the war memorial grounds in Princes Street, iiawera, and give a very pleasing effect m the photos taken of the arch. It v,as a thoughtful act on the committee’s part to spare them when thev decided to carry out th e Work. A large number have been planted in the Knsfc Enel Park, a whole hedpe of them in fact around the west side of the park, and the majority of them appear to be thriving. They will lio doubt in time prove a, good shelter 'o - the grounds.

Tne nikau is more beautiful than the cabbage tree, bat nothing like so hardy. It is the only single specimen of the palm family in New Zealand, and is more a tropical plant than a native of a temperate climate like New Zealand. In the olden days the nikau was used bv the natives for many purposes, the chief of which was the building of their whares First they erected a man ika f.amework, and then covered this with nikau leaves. The laHer are so formed that the water the roof of a nikau thatched whare pven though, daylight mav be seen through it. The idea of nikau huts by the natives was also copied hv European bushmen vears ago. As men tinned in a previous issue"large quanl tit es of the leaves were used for decorating purposes at Christmas time. .e t-ee bears a red fruit when ripe and berries form afterwards the sice cf pens. They become extremely hard ’l 11 h°' e been used as a substitute ,0" Millers in the early days when leaden missies sometimes became •scarce It is somewhat strange that ■’ -fh the berries become so hard spumes of native birds, more o-'-ticnlarly the parrot tribe, feed upon them.

Ihe visitor to Wellington never expo ts to iind a couple of acres of native bush right in the heart of : the ci=. . . Vet there is such a lovely -start', vv.tn graceful tree ferns and ‘ nlfcaii palms, and planted all over with native piants and shrubs, from the bdsh in many parts, from Mount Egmont and • 1 0111 lararuns and other mountain areas It is the homestead of the iate , (>oo Denton, in whkh some of tiie family ar e still living. The late sir. Denton and his son, W 1 H. Denton, both keen_ lovers of nature and the glories of J\ew Zealand, bush, have con tin ally during the last fifty’years > ought home and planted treasures of t't' >' ‘‘tl whenever thov have been •lb oi d. The result is that now there ue ii.un ers of these of many varieties aeb established, the nikau and tree bins showing the growth of many •eers iuv l as fine as can he seen anywrere. Tt is a spot that lovers of nature should not fail to see, for Mr. Denton is always pleased to show the

natural treasures packed away in that pretty spot. He is anxious if ; at all possible that nothing should disturb the plantation or its beauty, .and it would be a. thousand pities were it not kept in its natural state.

The' medicinal properties of many New Zealand plants have long been known by the natives and copied later by the Europeans. Most people know how efficacious in severe cases of dysentery the koromiko has proved, it being only necessary to chew a few of the green buds. The writer remembers a case many years ago of a boy whose life was despaired 'of suffering from this malady. The parent who was rather friendly with the natives mentioned to one old chief that the boy was suffering from it and in a very bad Way. The old fellow went away and came back shortly afterwards* with solhe koromiko buds, and told the pakeha friend to make the picanniny chew one or two. In a. very short time after carrying out the native’s instructions a change for the better took place, find the lad was not many davs before he was quite recovered. *

; The curative properties of the native flax are also well known. The gum secreted between the leaves may be used for burns. The fresh root may be pounded and the juice used a s a lotion to kill ringworms. The natives used it also to prevent galling of the skin of infants. If taken inwardly it will stop internal bleeding. The pulp of the bruised root if tied tightly over wounds .will stop bleeding. The roots if roasted on a wood fire and beaten into a, pulp and used warm will provide a very effective poultice, for accesses of swollen limbs or joints. In a recent issue mention was made of the" poisonous nature of the kernel of the ‘karaka p.eriy. As is well known the tutu, the Cpinmon shrub that has caused the deaths of many cattle at various times IS another of several species of Ne\v Zealand plant life that contain strong poisons. The tutu berries are supposed to contain strychnine. Notwithstanding that the seeds of the tutu are poisonous the juice is not so. The hatives used to prepare a beverage from the flowers by squeezing out the red juice, and early settlers are said to have made a somewhat strong wine from it. The writer very well recollects when a hoy of having seen a vouth drinking the compressed ripe juice, j*]id he declares it was very pleasant 5 but could never induce the writer to Partake of the draught. Sometimes, however, it has been,known to have an Overcoming effect on those who have drunk it. It is recorded that on one occasion two of the early ministers were persuaded to taste some of the b’ine. One of them related how- he M [°r a - time all power in his legs and had a feeling that he would fall down on his tac e . It was not long, however, before he recovered. This y ows that it is not safe to indulge in this beverage to any extent.

v" Another plant that at a certain period ol the year is poisonous is the rangiora. When in flower the bees in gathering the honey have drawn from the nectar some of the poison and on ■up*?® e pten the honey has caused very distressing effects to people partaking Pt it. The writer was informed on one occasion that a valuable cow owned by q farmer got into a bad condition, lumps forming on its udder The cayise for a time was quite a mystery iPnt.ii someone conversant with tile poisonous properties of the rangiora informed the owner of the cow that •the beast must have eaten of th e leaves ?' +i i natlve shrub. Precautionary methods were at once taken and the cow removed from the precints of the piant with beneficial effects.

. The great demand for kauri timber lot ordy m New Zealand but in Australia has resulted in a great manv toiests of this majestic giant of New Zealand tree llfe having disappeared in the Northern province. The age of the ai, " e +v Un ? ks. kard estimate, and even th e leading botanists of New have not been able to definitely estimate the age of many of these huge hfo S V SUC m aa aathori tv even as the * afce , K .Kirk, could not come t definite estimate of some of them, t is recorded that of one specimen at Mercury Bay which ha s a trunk of fJrf n Y r dia ™ et er the age was estimand • Z a t over four thousf. i•' ’+• The late Mr - Cheeseman in Ins estimate of the same tree eonyearsed When " ??' y about 1728 years. When we consider then what a SJJ years . ? has taken for the t° . tlle kauri forests to reach the iaige dimensions that some of them have done it seems a great pitv that more forests have not been coSn-ed Nevertheless ,t i s satisfactory to fhp i at -n 16 M,nister in charge of the State Forest Service, Sir Heaton Rhodes has decided that the last of kanr ' f ° rest * hi the Auckland Wninmin 111 the world, situated M a, : ea . south-west cf Hckise.:vTcf Ti;^yr S l "+ the kee - nin g of the ?e.vice. The Minister recently made l ispection of the reserve for the settled f r S, ' d€r r a r eq«est from settle! s to. the north of the forest to construct .several roadmg schemes The in- m +K ei + '- T + as very em P liat ic in his opin--10,1 thqt it was not desirable to have a road constructed that • would cut through the forest,, considering that it would increase the risk of fire and the opportunity for noar-hiug kamiVnm • + as Fitting too much lmht i™°th sombre forest glade. He stood foi the preservation of this lest areat stronghold of the kauri. He will recede the commendation of all right +hinWno oeople and especially lovers of nature in the stand he has taken tip.

, Tbe Prolific flowering of native leeches they Oiten are wrongly called season is commented on 0} an Ohakune correspondent of the i / i +, an< * Herald. “The upper parts or the mountain beeches. NothoivSl* SO v' l(irl ' , | the correspondent Mote on November 1, “are like ratas in bloom and the black beeches, with tawny flowers -and tinted leaves of biood-red and yellow supply a wonderfully harmonious Picture. The vivid STW>L leaVeS i° f o the si!ver beech, with a background or sombre pines supply a sharp contrast in colours, when the sun strikes them after spring showers At one place in this borough native beeches and a background "of pines form three-quaters of a circle meet . two mo - lmt , ain streams The haimony of tlie colouring is very impressive.” In the East End nar.c at Hawera a large number of seeches have been planted and are doing well They are noted for tlmir hardiness and as mentioned in the foregoing paragraph are verv attractive in the spring time, the glossy green rI ° n tl r,. lenves bein " very beautitm. Ihe foliage is very effective for ■•oral decorations also.

■ A new hli ; ht. a fungus growth, is placing havoc with gooseljerry hushes in Gieytown (says a Wairarapa paper). Without anv warning, it is stated a well-laden branch of the tree will wither, and inspection shows, that the branch has died from lack of sap.

So far no satisfactory method of dealing with Watsonia, a weed of the ljly family, has been discovered, and the plant is becoming alarmingly prevalent in many districts of the Auckland . province, Visitors to tile district state that this weed is much in evidence near Kaeo and Peria, and is growing freely on the education reserve at the back of the Peria. school and on the roadside in the vicinity. A considerable growth of the castor oil plant was also noted on the same areas.'

Recently a Palmerston North resident commented on the tameness of a blackbird nesting at his residence. A .Wanganui land agent states that he has had a similar experience with a thrush this season, which nested in a shrub near his house. She has now brought out the second hatch of young birds (states the Herald). 'At any time he could go to the nest and handle the bird, and she took litfle notice except to. give him an occasional peck when she thought he was inclined to interfere too much with the eggs or the young birds.

The State Coal Mines at Dunollie, on the "West Coast, have undertaken a big plantation scheme and have available for this purpose 3000 acres of land. It is intended to plant this year 60,000 trees, and thereafter 125 acres annually, which will require 155.000 trees.