l64 Transactions. 



of the other elements of the association. Any weakening and killing-out 

 of the tussocks leads to the general destruction of the association, and 

 its replacement by a vegetation of infinitely worse feeding-value. 



(3.) .The growth resulting from the burning of the tussocks is capable 

 of yielding feed only for a brief period, as burnt tussocks, even when 

 grazed soon after burning, rapidly reassume their tussocky condition. 



(4.) Burning lessens the amount of natural seeding, and this leads 

 to the rapid creation of bare ground. 



The evidence on which the anti-burners base their claims is on the 

 wide extent of countrj^, more particularly in Central Otago, where the 

 gradual disappearance of the tussock has been followed b}^ the elimina- 

 tion of the whole of the association and the production of a virtual 

 desert type of vegetation quite useless for grazing purposes. The pro- 

 burners, on the other hand, assert that many stations which do not 

 burn, although they keep the tussock grassland in an apparently unim- 

 paired condition, cannot keep their stock in as good a condition as 

 when burning is carried out. Again, with regard to Central Otago, it 

 is urged that the rabbit factor has played the essential part in the 

 destruction of the vegetation, and this supposition is probably in the 

 main quite correct. 



8. The Future of Mon.tane Tussock Grassland. 



It is difficult to forecast the future of montane tussock grassland. 

 From present appearances, however, it seems likely that the greater part 

 of the area occupied by this formation is capable of remaining per- 

 manently in much the same condition as it is to-day. In other words, 

 it is likely to remain inferior sheep-grazing country, capable of sup- 

 porting at most one sheep on 3 to 5 acres. On other portions, where 

 both soil and climatic conditions are adverse, a gradual deterioration 

 in carrying-capacity will be experienced, provided special efforts are not 

 made to modify these^ conditions. Their modification by manuring, 

 cultivation, shelter-tree planting, and other methods is quite possible, 

 but, generally speaking, impracticable from the expense standpoint. 

 The limited experimentation carried out by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture has all been in the direction of showing the impracticable nature 

 of such work. Other areas, again, where the soil and climatic condi- 

 tions are good, will probably in time, when great reduction in the 

 size of individual holdings takes place, be converted into better-class 

 grazing-land through cultivation and other farming operations. The 

 production of special crops, more particularly lucerne and also root 

 crops,* may also play an important part in the future. The application 

 of such methods would have a very important bearing on the tussock 

 grassland as a whole. The increased production of feed over certain 

 areas would enable periodical spelling of much of the land without the 

 necessity for reducing the total carrying-capacity. 



One point is, however, of great importance, and this is that the 

 present vegetation appears to be specially attuned to the conditions, 

 and this vegetation is of an extremely xerophytic nature. There must be 

 some very powerful factors that have led to the development of such a 

 vegetation, and with these still in operation it seems unreasonable to 



* There is a prevalent opinion amongst runholders that sheep grazed on montane 

 tussock grassland refuse to feed on root crops. 



