. Hill Pasture Improvement. 107 



tinues, will ultimately spoil almost any pastures, except 

 those on soils composed of chalk or mountain limestone, 

 which naturally grow little but close, fine herbage. 



It would be a big gain to New Zealand if deteriora- 

 tion of hill pastures, where it occurs, could be stayed, for 

 it is the hill pastures which provide the great bulk of the 

 sheep exports of the Dominion. It is too costly to top- 

 dress more than but an infinitesimal part of these lands, 

 and at any rate it is questionable if in many cases it 

 would not be money wasted, unless accompanied by 

 proper grazing methods. 



It is observed with respect to the land under con- 

 sideration that grass plants which to all appearance had 

 been firmly established in the soil, sooner or later begin 

 to exhibit signs of decay. Sheep return to the land not 

 much less than they take away from it, but in spite of this 

 the plants quite obviously lose some attribute attending 

 their previous virile growth. There seems to be cause 

 for believing that the influence of the weather has, 

 fundamentally, a great deal to do with it. It is recog- 

 nised that the frosts of winter have a particular tend- 

 ency to raise or displace grasses and loosen the soil. 

 The expanding power of frost is well known. Frosts 

 will lay the soil open to weather influence ; the sun will 

 bake the soil, causing fissures, and rain following will 

 deplete it of its richer constituents in the shape of detri- 

 tus and decayed vegetable matter and animal manure, 

 which become soluble and prematurely descend into the 

 ground out of the reach of the roots of many grass 

 plants, or out of the ground into the waterways. Little 

 more than the coarser sands of no retentive capacity is 

 left behind to form the feeding intermediary of the 

 plants. The manure and other matter deposited or de- 

 cayed upon the ground is hastened away by rains with- 

 out getting an opportunity of fulfilling any conserva- 

 tive purpose. 



