most congenial situations, let well alone, and not waste either time, money, 

 or energy in endeavouring to modify their surroundings. But we know that 

 the contrary is the case, and the intelligent grazier should ever be on the 

 alert to seize opportunities of improving his pastures, by cultivating w T ell- 

 known grasses, and by the introduction and cultivation of new ones. 



CONSERVATION OF NATIVE GRASSES. 



Each holding should have a few acres of its best grasses fenced off for 

 one or two seasons for seeding purposes. As land is usually stocked, 

 grasses are frequently not permited to seed, and consequently are only able 

 to propagate themselves by root-division. Who has not noticed howygrasses 

 flower and seed when they get a chance, e.g., along the railway lines within 

 the fences ? In many places these situations are the only ones where one 

 can get a little grass-seed. 



In addition, it would be very desirable for every selector and squatter to 

 have a small grass-nursery, in order that he might test for himself the 

 various native and imported grasses. Then he could ascertain their behaviour 

 and habit in the climate and soils of his own district. The nursery should 

 be in a place handy to the homestead, and if it would be a source of expense 

 I would not advocate it. The principal cost would be that of a rabbit-proof 

 fence, while the return to the grazier in the improved knowledge he would 

 secure of the grasses suited to his district would be great. 



It would be, of course, very desirable to extend the idea of fencing off 

 small paddocks. The very human mistake is made here, and in all parts of 

 the world, of overstocking, with the result that the grasses most palatable 

 to stock are temporarily (or perhaps permanently) eaten out, while their 

 place is taken by weeds and inferior grasses, — grasses which have spread, 

 because they have been comparatively uninterfered with by stock. The 

 remedy, and there is only one remedy for this, is to periodically give 

 paddocks a rest. In most parts of the Colony it is rarely that more can be 

 done than this, but in the United States it has been abundantly shown how 

 advantageous may be the breaking-up of the surface, and even the application 

 of some kinds of manure. I will give one instance : — 



" An experiment made at the Kansas Station in 1892 shows what a thorough 

 stirring up of soil will do for an upland prairie pasture. The experiment 

 was made on a pasture in which the grasses had been dying out for some 

 time, and the weeds were beginning to appear in abundance. It had been 

 reduced to this condition by drought and over-pasturing. The surface was 

 thoroughly loosened up by driving a weighted disc-harrow over the field in 

 several directions. The pasture was sown to a mixture of orchard grass, 

 meadow fescue, blue grass, timothy, red top, clover, and alfalfa, which was 

 harrowed in, and a roller was driven over the field to level the surface and 

 firm the ground. The seed germinated quickly, and the tame grasses made 

 an excellent start, but by September the wild grasses had crowded them out 

 and held complete possession of the field. In this case the stirring of the 

 soil and the season's rest not only enabled the prairie grasses to recover and 

 to overcome the weeds, but to crowd out a good stand of tame grasses as 

 well." (Thomas A. Williams.) 



Professor Lamson-Scribner, the well-known American authority, thus 

 speaks on the question of conserving the native grasses : — 



" It is very important that every possible effort should be made to pre- 

 serve the native grasses. They are naturally adapted to the conditions 



