SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY, 
attention were paid by having smaller paddocks, thus allowing the 
grasses to rest and seed at intervals, the pastures would carry a much 
bigger sole of grass than they are doing at present. 
The pastoral and mixed farming industries of the interior are in an 
even worse condition of neglect than the dairying industry. The 
pastoralist and mixed farmer have, in addition, been the victims of 
circumstances unknown to the coastal dairyman. In the first place, the 
native grasses of the interior have been choked out in many places by 
introduced herbage such as Barley grass, Burr, Trefoils, and Brome 
grasses. With ordinary winter and spring season, similar to the ‘spring 
and summer of the European countries from which these plants have 
been introduced, this herbage produces a large amount of succulent feed, 
and the mixed farmer and pastoralist are often under the delusion thai 
such feed cannot be improved’ upon. But this herbage has two serious 
disadvantages— ; 
(a) It is short lived, dying down in early summer, and in 
summer and autumn, therefore, the native grasses are 
badly needed. Owing to the aggressive character of the 
herbage, however, it has crowded out in most wheat-grow- 
ing districts the original native grasses, and the sheep 
have, during the most critical period of the year, to 
subsist on burrs or any odd rubbish they can find. 
(b) Under drought conditions, or even in fairly dry periods, the 
herbage entirely fails, and the farmer has then to resort 
to agistment or hand feeding. 
Most striking examples -of the inferiority of herbage country to 
native grass country have been evidenced during the past drought, and, 
as far as New South Wales is concerned, the writer is practically certain 
that losses in sheep on the slopes and tablelands have occurred where 
herbage pasture has been the rule, and not where native pastures have 
existed. Danthonia pastures in any part of New South Wales, where 
the water in the wells was ample, were carrying practically fat sheep up 
to December. Even in good years no evidence has yet been brought 
forward to show that good herbage country will carry more sheep all 
the year round than a native pasture containing Danthonia, Chloris. 
&e., will do. 
The suppression of all herbage country is, of course, impracticable, 
“nor would it be at all wise. Herbage grows very strongly in wheat- 
growing districts, and it is impossible to prevent the introduction alto- 
gether. What is strongly advocated, however, is the presence of one or 
more paddocks of native pastures, Danthonia and Chloris for prefer- 
ence, to provide feed during the critical period of the year, when the 
herbage and stubble are exhausted. It is an unwise policy for a mixed 
farmer, when running sheep in combination with wheat, to plough up . 
all his native pasture land in order to grow wheat. 
Again, most mixed farmers and pastoralists have not concerned them- 
selves with the quality of the grasses on their estates, nor haye they 
attempted in any way to maintain or improye good grasses which would 
thrive under the existing conditions. It is a remarkable fact that 
whereas the wheat farmer displays a keen interest in and knowledge of 
92 
