18G 
MAGAZINE OP SCIENCE AND ART. 
the most. Both sheep, cattle, and horses will pass 
by all grasses of moderate quality, so long as a 
“ tit-bit” is to be had. We might just as reason¬ 
ably expect that our farms and gardens would con¬ 
tinue to produce crops for our use, without putting 
the seeds, as to think our pastures will continue 
to furnish tho3e grasses which are prevented from 
furnishing the required seed. In the former, as 
every one knows, we would soon have nothing but 
worthless weeds, and I am convinced that in the 
latter the same result must follow. 
The first tiling required is to fix the attention of 
those most interested, get them to think, enquire, 
and experiment, and surely some effectual means 
will be discovered to accomplish the end in view. 
We must look to ourselves chiefly ; the experience 
of other countries, will he of little use, except as 
encouragement, for our climate, and in fact most 
other circumstances, differ so widely from all other 
portions of the world, that experience of the nature 
required can only be obtained on the spot. 
As a first step towards improving our pastures', I 
mean more particularly those inland tracts of 
country spoken of in two former papers on this 
subject, that I bad the honor of reading to you, I 
would propose the introduction of grass seeds from 
one part of the country to another, that is, when-' 
ever a species of grass or herb of such a nature as 
to suit for the pasture of sheep or cattle is found 
peculiar to certain districts only, seeds should be 
taken to those districts where it is not found. For 
instance, the coast counties of New South Wales 
produce many species of grasses not to be met with 
over the mountains, the most suitable of these 
inigjit be carried to stations in the interior, and 
cultivated for a year or two, in an enclosure of a 
few square yards in extent, to prove their capability 
of withstanding the excessive hot winds of those 
treeless parts of our island. Again, there are sonic 
grasses and herbs found on those very plains which 
are far more enduring than those most generally 
met with there; I have noticed that these particular 
enduring grasses, owing to the nature of their seeds, 
are not well calculated to spread from natural 
causes, it is obvious, therefore, that to increase 
them to any extent, man must disseminate the seed. 
And lastly, seeds of fodder plants should be pro¬ 
cured from various parts of the world, where the 
climate is in some measure like our own; but I 
confess that my greatest hopes rest upon our indi¬ 
genous herbage and grasses, although I am equally 
firm in the desire to try all means. 
After it has been found that a particular grass ot 
herb is adapted for the purpose required, some pri¬ 
mitive method of dispersing the seed when it has 
been procured is all that would be necessary; I 
know well that no other would he practised as yet 
in the colony. Suppose, then, you have procured 
a sufficient supply of the seed of the selected plant: 
wait for rainy weather in autumn, if the plant be 
capable of withstanding the usual frosts in a young 
state, otherwise sow in spring. Let a cart be started 
with the seed to the place where it is intended to 
sow it; a man or boy should then stand in the can, 
and as it proceeds thinly scatter the seed from him 
to the right and left as far as he is able. The cart 
should be followed by a herd of cattle or a flock of 
sheep, to tread the seed in, and prevent crotvs or 
others of the feathered tribes from peculating; in 
this way the cart should proceed a considerable dis¬ 
tance, say from one end of a run to the other, if 
there be sufficient seed for that purpose. If care he 
taken to scatter the seed thinly a few bushels of 
small seeds would sow several miles in length. 
To procure the seed, it would he necessary to 
enclose a space of ground and cultivate the plant, 
for it is unusual to find seed in sufficient quantities 
under natural circumstances; of course various 
modes of cultivation might have to be resorted to 
in various descriptions of plants, for one, the ground 
might require tillage, while for others it might he 
better without; all this must be left to the judg¬ 
ment of the experimentalist. 
By such means as these, worn out runs might be 
renovated. And not only might the rich grasses 
and herbs upon which the kangaroo, in times gone 
by was wont to banquet, hut which the greedy flocks 
and herds of the white man have almost obliterated, 
he restored, but also by the introduction of new 
kinds, be rendered far richer than they were in the 
undisturbed reign of the marsupials. 
NATIVE PLANTS. 
No. 4.— By Mr, T. Shepherd. 
Somewhat more than a year since I hnd the honor of 
reading, before the members of the Horticultural Improve¬ 
ment Society, the third of a series of papers which I had 
undertaken to write, on Native Plants, and the Pastoral, 
Agricultural, and Horticultural Resources of xtustralia. 
Absence from the colony prevented my promise from 
being further carried out at the time, and subsequently 
the dissolution of the society, in order to form our pre¬ 
sent consolidated body, has dfclayed the resumption of the 
subject until the present time, when, by the desire of 
several members of this society, I have decided, with your 
permission, to resume the subject, which 1 propose doing 
by continuing the series, commenced as before mentioned, 
in occasional papers to be read and considered at our 
monthly meetings as opportunity or convenience may 
permit. 
It will not he necessary for me, in resuming this subject, 
to refer at any length to the contents of my three preced¬ 
ing papers, because it is more than probable that most of 
the members now present were also present when they 
were introduced, atnl will consequently not require such 
reference. Resides, they have been published by the daily 
press in their reports of the proceedings of the late society. 
The only part of the subject yet touched upon has been 
the pastoral, and that with more immediate reference to 
the capabilities of that vast interior so destitute of water 
and grass, and the best means of improving It by^ supply¬ 
ing it with these very essential commodities, and I have 
still a little more to say on this part before entering upon 
those remaining. 
Unless something he speedily done to render our natural 
pasture lands more productive than they at present are, 
our population will soon outgrow the supply of animal 
food available from them, and consequently either have to 
resort to the artificial feeding of stocked greatly increased 
expense, or worse, have to depend upon other countries 
for it, notwithstanding the enormous extent of country 
which we occupy. And I am of opiuion that this state of 
affairs is much closer upon ns than at first sight appears. 
No doubt it will be difficult to make people generally be¬ 
lieve in such a possibility as this, particularly in the face 
of the vast inantities of good beef and mutton annually 
sent to the tallow pot, until within the last year or two. 
But ever since population poured in upon us through the 
gold discoveries, this sacrifice of food has continued to 
diminish, and is now completely discontinued, except at 
some of the most distant and out of the way localities, 
the demand for butchers’ meat being now about equal to 
the supply. The colony at Victoria, although extensive 
and much richer in natural pastures than any other of the 
Australian group, yet finds herself compelled to buy beef 
and mutton from her neighbours to the extent of a million 
sterling per annum at least. Tasmania is in a similar 
