SEEDS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 3 February 1914, Page 2

SEEDS.

A CASUAL (jHUYVIjXU. (By The Chronicle's 0.L.) The sowing of seeds marked a big step forward in the advance of man. It made his food suppi} surer, ;uid enabled him to provide for the lean years—-when"the wolf or the bailiff sat on the door-step-«-by putting aside tiie surplus from the fat years, thus giving himself time to think of possible ways of improving his existence, instead of being continually at liis wits end to preserve it. One of the most backward races in the world is the Australian abor.iy.ii',.,. who never sowed ' a seed, but depaulod for his meals on the capture of such speedy animals as the wallaby, kangaroo or emu, or if he lived near the coast, kept a bright look-out and wide nostrils for a dead whale. Had the 'aborigine known anything of cultivation, the time he spent in tearing across the landscape after a possible dinner could have been devoted to discovering the whereabouts of the South Pole, or some such similar problem which entails so great a waste of time and ' money at present, and the chronicling of which eats up so much valuable advertising space in the daily papers. In the knowledge of cultivation the Maoris had made great progress, and the crops of taro and ku'mara made it ! possible for them to store up enough food to provide for a voyage of discovery from the Malay Peninsula to Aotea; and when the white man happened along he found Hen are quite willing to take and sow any seeds which promised a big return of food later on. The old generation of Maoris are still very keen on this. I know on old man—he must be between GO and 70 -who, not so very long ago, took his month's gathering of fungus along to the village storekeeper. He made a satisfactory bargain, and was just turning to leave the store when the words "Bird seed, (id per lb," on a placard tacked to a box, caught his. eye. . He regarded it long and carefully, letting the seed in the box run through his fingers meanwhile. Then he turned to the storekeeper: "What sort te bird seed dat, fellow." "Canary seed." "Kapai! Give me two lbs." Henare hurried back to the pah with ihe precious seed, and next morning was up at daylight preparing a plot of ground. He dug it and raked it to a fine tilth; never before had he spent so much time in working up the soil for seed. So much care made the other Maoris inquisitive, and Heuare had to explain what crop might be confidently expected. The news spread and Henare's countrymen came from near and far and squatting round the crop, waited; while one of their number striding up and down, held forth on the wonderful knowledge of the pakeha concerning seeds, llenare watched anxiously, and whenever it failed to ram four or live times a week got the other liaoris to work with watering cans. At last a lew small green plants broke through the soil and the plot was carefully covered with fine bird-netting , . The plants grew rapidly, • a thick uiass, which soon proved itself to be a iine crop of docks and thistles. All the food at the pah had given out, and the visiting Maoris passing remarks about Henare's sanity and the pakeljaV untruthfulness hurried horn: , ', whii., llenare went oil' to inter '■■■>:; u:v storekeeper. The ;.'• :<■'■?.■.'•';/ was*, still there, and p<>; iii;;ir !u* it, llenare asked in a helliroisc tone, "What sort te seed dat fellow r , " "Canary seed." "Look here, you tell te lie: he not grow canary: 1 phi ill him, an' kanui te. docks an' tistles." It took a long explanation and half a pound of tobacco to induce llenare to adopt ii peaceable attitude, and he still doubts the pakeha's good faith. " THE O.L.