LANDSCAPE GARDENERS 49 



noted as produced by cattle in the more populous 

 and anciently settled territories has spread over 

 millions of acres. On these the tall, rough grass, so 

 high that cattle could not be seen in it unless the 

 gauchos stood on their horses as look-out posts to 

 gain a view, has given way to turf, close, compact, 

 and of treble the nutritive powers of the unimproved 

 grasses. The millions of sheep which it now sup- 

 ports, herded by dogs which have become almost part 

 of the flocks, outnumber the ancient " treks " of the 

 spring-buck of South Africa ; and instead of the vast 

 and oppressive silence of the plains, the lowing of herds 

 and the bleating of flocks fill the air with sound. 





