Fern Land. 117 



during their enclosure in the paddock, it is desirable that 

 a heavy draft of sheep be placed there when a shower 

 does fall. Their tramping will bury the seed in the soil 

 and fern ash, and gives an excellent send-off to the pas- 

 ture. Whenever a fresh shoot of young fern is observed 

 the same process of heavily stocking with sheep should 

 be pursued, or, when the grass growth attains a young 

 and tender state, liable to destruction by sheep, cattle 

 could be put on as substitutes. In fact, right through 

 the process, it is better to use both cattle and sheep ; what 

 shoots one will leave the other wil] take. When the 

 young fern shoots first make their appearance the sheep 

 will eat them, but if the shoots are allowed to turn into 

 leaf they will not tackle them. It is important, there- 

 fore, that careful observance be made for their appear- 

 ance from time to time, and the paddock well stocked 

 before they advance into leaf ; otherwise, what should be 

 a successful method of fern eradication will be spoilt by 

 the fern lustily getting a hold again. Carried out pro- 

 perly it will be observed that each successive growth of 

 fern shoots will become weaker and weaker, and the 

 grass more evident. By a little attention to the paddock 

 in its early stages one should in the course of a year or 

 two have an area transformed from a state of practical 

 worthlessness to one carrying stock well. Wherever the 

 land is at all good and where fern grows well, it is 

 invariably good a settler cannot go wrong in displacing 

 fern by grass. It will add so substantially to the value 

 of his property. 



Where the country is at all adapted to the plough, 

 however, eradication of fern by cultivation is often more 

 efficacious. It at once transforms almost valueless land 

 into crop -return ing soil, subjected to eventuating im- 

 provement by the valuable and soil-enriching grazing of 

 sheep. Even if the ultimate use it is put to is pasture it 

 will be made most valuable country, with this fertilising 

 and improving aid of sheep, suitable crop growing and 



