The Grasses favoured by Sheep. 99 



whose habits are native to such second-class land. As- 

 suming that there were no second-rate land grasses, and 

 that the better grasses had the undisputed field to them- 

 selves, it would be seen that some of them only would 

 permanently establish themselves on the hills, but they 

 would degenerate in size and in economic value, and 

 become really less valuable than the grasses at present 

 adapted to such land by reason of their long lodging 

 there. It may easily be understood, therefore, why 

 such grasses as sheep's fescue, hard fescue, crested dogs- 

 tail, etc., are spoken of in association with sheep pas- 

 tures, for they are the natives of the haunts of sheep. 

 Sowing these grasses on rich flat land essentially adapted 

 to cattle grazing would obviously be economic Waste. 

 They would not provide the bulk of feed for large-hoofed 

 stock, although they would produce more than what 

 they would do on the hills. And sowing the heavier or 

 better grasses on hill lands would likewise fulfil no 

 serviceable purpose, for not only would it mean a smaller 

 bulk of feed, but the ultimate decay of many would 

 transpire, besides a dispossession by other grasses al- 

 ready better suited to such land. 



Grasses behave differently in different soils. Take 

 a case in point, an extreme and very illustrative one. 

 Tall fescue, by its strong growth on the good lowlands 

 of the North Island, makes of itself a perfect nuisance, 

 fit neither for cattle nor sheep consumption, but on 

 some hill soils of the South Island, or any hill soils 

 for that matter, it may be seen growing not nearly so 

 coarsely, and grazed well by all stock. It is doubtful if 

 it will last on these hills, and if it does it will be due to 

 its being an inherently very healthy and resourceful 

 plant, and, at any rate, in the course of time will be- 

 come more and more like the ordinary sheep fescues of 

 such country. Then, again, other grasses, such as 

 timothy and foxtail, growing on good lowland and in 

 bulky fashion more suited to cattle grazing, may on 



