MANAGEMENT OF PASTURES. 91 



may be sown on top of wheat that has just been fed off, and 

 then the seed harrowed in. Neither of methods (2) and (3) 

 has much to recommend it. (4) It is very often sown at 

 the same time as rape is drilled. There is one very distinct 

 advantage in this method in districts that are affected with 

 grass grub. For the cultivation in October kills all the 

 brittle pupae that are in the soil, and the sheep are on 

 the rape in December, so that the beetles will not lay 

 their eggs in the new sown grass. Thus at least one season 

 of grass free from grub is assured. Of course the frequent 

 lack of moisture in October, and the excessive trampUng 

 of the young grass while the sheep are on the rape are dis- 

 advantages of this time of sowing, but these are in certain 

 districts quite overbalanced by the probability of immunity 

 from attack by grub. (5) Grass is also occasionally sown 

 with turnips — chiefly in those districts where white turnips 

 are grown on the flat. Where there is a sufficient rainfall in 

 Midsummer and Autumn, and where cereals are not grown, 

 sowing with turnips often gives the best results. 



Improvement of Native Pastures. — The improvement of 

 native pastures in the North Island is chiefly a matter of 

 manuring and so does not come within the scope of this little 

 book. The native pastures that occur so widely in the South 

 Island are almost entirely unimproved. Their carrying 

 capacity is about one sheep to three acres, and has not 

 materially changed in the last 45 years. The reasons for this 

 state of things are threefold. (1) The native pasture is held in 

 largeblocksrunningfrom 10,000 acres to 100,000 acres. (2) The 

 tenure of the land is almost entirely that of short leaseholds 

 with revaluations at the end of the period, so that a run-holder 

 hesitates to effect improvements for which he is Ukely to be 

 fined in the shape of increased rentals. (3) The attempts 

 at improving the pastures that have been made in the past 

 have often failed and have still more often appeared to fail. 



