Pond and Maclaubin. — On the Soil of the Taupo Plains. 237 



We have now shown that the soil from these plains has 

 the needed mineral constituents to produce grass in abund- 

 ance, and that these are in ample supply, both in available 

 and latent form, for a considerable time. 



The mechanical conditions of the soil are also more satis- 

 factory than we had anticipated, particularly as regards its 

 capillarity. We have therefore much in favour of a successful 

 trial of grassing the plains. The serious difficulty we have to 

 contend with is the almost entire absence of nitrogen, without 

 which no extensive amount of feed can be developed by the 

 grasses. The great difficulty of carrying manure to the 

 district, besides the cost, makes it necessary to rely con- 

 siderably upon the growth of leguminous plants, either in the 

 form of lupins, to be turned under prior to sowing the grass- 

 seeds, or of clovers, peas, and beans for grazing ; probably 

 the combined methods would yield the best results. 



As we have already remarked, white-clover grows luxuri- 

 antly in some of the depressions, as well as alongside the 

 tracks crossing the plains. Now, the fact of this luxuriance 

 points to the presence in the soil of the nitrifying bacteria, 

 which enables the class of plants under review to provide 

 nitrogen from the air or the nitrate-nitrogen supplied by the 

 rain. A matter for consideration, however, is the inocula- 

 tion of the soil in places with earth bearing these particular 

 bacteria, or, perhaps better still, with pure cultivations of the 

 bacteria applied at regular distances, the spread of which 

 would speedily produce the object sought. 



The choice of grasses best suited for these plains is one 

 of the most difficult portions of the problem. That white- 

 clover will grow under favourable conditions we have already 

 shown, and we have evidence that some of the imported 

 grasses will bear the conditions of life in this district, as 

 evidenced by a report from Mr. Matthews in the Report of the 

 Department of Lands and Survey dealing with the experi- 

 mental station at Eangitaiki upon grasses sown more than 

 twelve months previously, in which this gentleman remarks, 

 " The following grasses have done fairly well on this reserve : 

 Prairie-grass, Chewing's fescue, Poa pratcnsis, crested dogs- 

 tail, white-clover, and tall fescue, the latter making by far 

 the most headway " ; and by the following letter from Mr. 

 Brownlie, written in May last, dealing with the same reserve : 

 " In regard to this paddock, I may state that several of the 

 grasses are doing well, especially Chewing's fescue, hard 

 fescue, prairie-grass, and white-clover, in the order named, 

 the best of all being Chewing's fescue, which is looking well, 

 and throws a lot of feed. This is satisfactory considering the 

 very unsatisfactory conditions under which it was sown — I 

 mean poor soil, cultivation, and drought." But although 



