627 



IMPROVING THE PASTURE. 



Australian sheep farmers seldom take much notice of the grasses 

 beyond noting those of which the stock are most fond. Such a 

 thing as endeavouring to cultivate the best of the native grasses was 

 never heard of until within the last half dozen years. Curiously 

 enough, the general opinion was that the native grasses could not be 

 cultivated. This is a great error ; the greatest number of our best 

 grasses lend themselves readily to cultivation, By watching the 

 time the plants shed their seeds, and reserving the land sown with 

 the seeds from stock, in order to let the young plants get 

 established, the pasture in a paddock may be greatly improved. 



The native grasses of Australia are not so well known that one 

 can say which should be grown in each locality. The sheep farmer, 

 if he is an observant man, should be the best authority as to the 

 grasses to cultivate in his district. The evils of over-stocking are 

 seen in the deterioration of large areas of Queensland. The best 

 pasture plants are eaten out, and their places are taken by grasses 

 that the sheep will eat readily only when they are young, and will 

 not eat when dry until they are forced to it by starvation. 



I have travelled over many hundreds of miles of fine country 

 in Queensland, in which nearly all the wholesome and nutritious 

 herbs and grasses have long sinct* disappeared, owing to being eaten 

 out by over-stocking. The country was covered with a coarse, poor 

 grass that when dry was no more fit to keep stock alive than so 

 much shavings. Lightly stocking and burning the country is being 

 practised to improve such pasture. 



There are a great many native bushes on which sheep will 

 browse and thrive admirably. The best of these bushes are the 

 various forms of salt-bush, of which the large, or u old man," salt- 

 bush is the best known. Nearly all the forms of this plant are 

 worthy of cultivation, and no plants can be found that will with- 

 stand heat and drought better. The salt-bushes can be readily 

 cultivated from seed, and in a good season it is said they will 

 grow freely from cuttings. Blue bush, cotton bush, grey bush, 

 and many other bushes may be grown with advantage. The 

 growing of these bushes is of the greatest importance in districts 

 where the rainfall is scanty, and it takes a good many acres to 

 support a sheep. Where these native bushes form the principal 

 support of the sheep portions of the run must be given a periodical 

 rest, or what has happened in Rivernia will be repeated the 

 bushes will be destroyed. 



In Riverina the salt and other bushes have been followed by 

 a good sward of grass, but in warmer and drier districts, where the 

 soil is not of a fertile description, it has been found that when the 

 bushes were destroyed there was scarcely anything left for the 

 sheep to eat. In such country it is useless to attempt to introduce 

 exotic grasses. Nothing will serve the purpose as well as the native 



