III. — BOTANY. 



Aet. XL VI.— Oh Grasses. By S. M. Curl, M.D. 

 [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 1st September, 1877.] 

 I HAD the honour on a former occasion of laying before the WeUington 

 Philosophical Society the results of some of my observations on those 

 grasses and fodder-plants that, from experiment in acclimatization, growth 

 and culture, and after chemical analysis, grazing of cattle and horses, 

 and folding of sheep upon them, had been found to be valuable for the 

 grazier and farmer to introduce into their fields and pastures, with the 

 object of making them far more productive than they are at present with 

 the grasses and clovers usually sown. 



It is well known that there is a great scarcity of grass in the pastures 

 during the dryness of summer, and also in a cold or wet winter ; my 

 experiments have proved to me there were exotic grasses that would sujpply 

 this deficiency, and clothe the pastures at all times with abundant and 

 nutritious herbage. In addition to the grasses already mentioned in my 

 former paper, I now desire to give you the results of further experiments 

 upon other new grasses not hitherto cultivated by farmers and pastoralists 

 in New Zealand. It is probable that for a considerable period pastoral 

 pursuits will be more profitable to many of those who come to invest their 

 capital in New Zealand than the growing of cereals. 



That the profitable return to individuals and the money introduced into 

 the colony for the wool, tallow and other produce may be the greatest in 

 proportion to the quantity of land occupied by the sheep, cattle, etc., it 

 behoves the pastoralist to make two blades of grass grow where one grew 

 before, and also that these two blades shall be of a more nutritive kind than 

 the one was. Therefore as competition within and without the colony is 

 likely to increase, the pastorahst must make up his mind to grow not only 

 the best and most fattening grasses, but sow such a variety of them that he 

 will be able to keep the largest number of stock upon his land both summer 

 and .winter. But as, in addition to the graziers, there will be a large 

 number of colonists who, having labour within their own families, or who 

 for other reasons will be able to carry on the cultivation of cereals 

 conjoined with the production of meat, wool, etc., in a rotation of agri- 

 cultural operations, it follows that these farmers will find it best to grow 

 the most suitable grasses upon their fields during the time the live-stock 



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