CuKL. — On Grasses and Fodder Plants. 385 



can be sure of the merits of such proposed introductions, but all the 

 labour, expense, and trouble of numbers of introductions may be repaid by 

 only a few things that turn out to be really useful and worthy, and in 

 grasses this has been proved especially to be the case, as those grasses 

 mentioned in my former papers to this Society will show, and yet there 

 remain very many amongst the hundreds I have sown and experimented 

 with that show they would be very useful if sown by the farmers and 

 graziers to uicrease the feed in their pastm-es. 



I purpose to add, before concluding this paper, some other grasses to 

 those before described that are desirable to cultivate to increase the herbage 

 for the places and times indicated. 



When it is remembered how vast are the interests that are involved in 

 keeping up the pastures to the best possible condition, it seems mar- 

 vellous the little niter est that is taken, by even farmers or graziers them- 

 selves, in grasses and grass-culture ; so long as a little rye-grass seed and 

 a little white clover seed is scattered over the field — they are satisfied. The 

 live stock is then turned out, either to kill it by over feeding-down, or, by 

 constantly trampling over the grass and ground, to reduce its power of 

 growth to the lowest, and then finally to kill it. This is all the knowledge 

 and care taken about the matter ; but it is soon seen how little stock can 

 be kept to the acre by such plans, and how impossible it is that land can be 

 profitable under such treatment when used to depasture animals upon. 



It is put forward by some persons who have not fully considered this 

 question, that foddering or stall-feeding, or shutting up the hve stock and 

 supplying them with all their food, which must be specially grown for them 

 by hand, is the most advantageous course to pursue, but except mider 

 very peculiar circumstances this is impossible. It becomes a question 

 of cost of production, and the meat markets of the world regulate the profit 

 or loss upon this matter. Even in Great Britain, with cheap labour and a 

 full knowledge of how to produce the greatest amount of fodder at the 

 cheapest rates, the cost is so great that meat has risen to an almost pro- 

 hibitive price ; ~ and now the Americans, taking advantage of their large 

 grazing fields, where grass is at present abundant, because the population 

 to the square mile is small in numbers, are pouring in meat to the British 

 markets, and making it impossible fer the men who are hand-feeding their 

 animals to compete with them. If, therefore, meat production will not 

 bear the cost of hand-feeding of live stock in G-reat Britain, where the meat 

 consumers are numerous and labour for feeding cattle cheap and abundant, 

 it certainly will not pay to hand-feed in this colony where all these con- 

 ditions are different. As a large proportion of this population must gain 

 their means of living by meat and wool production, it follows that they must 



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