SOIL, GRASS AND STOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22413, 8 May 1936, Page 5

SOIL, GRASS AND STOCK

NATURE'S ROTATION REASONS FOR CHANGES A GUIDE TO IMPROVEMENT BY H.B.T. "Rotation" appears to play, a prominent rolo in Nature's scheme of plant and animal growth and development. Every observant farmer will have noticed that vegetation appears to come in waves. The thistles appear to spread over certain districts; remain for a year or two, and then almost as suddenly disappear. Other weeds and grasses, such as docks, bidi-bidi, prairie grass, and even ragwort take charge where soil conditions are favourable, but as soon as the mechanical condition or humus content is considerably altered, their exuberant growth is checked and they gradually give place to the nest vegetative type in the rotation. The soil becomes ."sick" or exhausted in respect of the conditions and constituents required by the particular plant or typo of plants, but, as Nature abhors a naked earth, some other plant growth is always ready and waiting to tako its placo. Under natural or "wild" conditions animal life appears to follow much the same rotation. First come the browsers, such as cattle and deer, which thrive on a lush type of bulky vegetation. The trampling and manuring which these give tho soil unfits it to grow the type of fodder on which they thrive best, but prepares it to produce a finer type of grass and plants on which smaller herbivorous animals such as the sheep, rabbit, and so on thrive best. Subdivision of Species

Again each species is subdivided into breeds or types which are designed to follow one another in regular rotation. Hi us we find that tho big-bodied Lincoln gives placo to tho Komney; this again to the smaller Hyeland or Southdown, and these in turn to perhaps the Merino, or Welsh mountain sheep. It lias generally been observed that those farmers are most successful who study and closely follow Nature's me thods in the selection of their pasturtgrasses and stock. This is so because healtly grass and stock aro always morf profit producing than types which, through their unsuitability to then environment, have always to contend with adverse conditions. Two Methods

There arc two methods open to the farmer of meeting the conditions ot change through which Nature rotates The lirst is, as has been done throughout the counties in Great Britain, where almost every district has its own distinct breed of sheep and cattle, to evolve the type best suited to existing pasturage and climatic conditions, and perfect this as far as possible for commercial production The second method is to strive through manuring, cultivation, and the sowing of carefully selected grass seed mixtures, to maintain the land at its existing standard, or improve its fertility so that it will carry more and hotter stock of the aamo type as those which originally tlirove on it. The first method is apparently more in accord with Nature's plan, aud suggests that we should endeavour to evolve typos of existing breeds of sheep and cattle which, while they might varv from the standards laid down in other countries, would be more healthy and productive here

Whichever course is followed, it is obvious that we must suit our stock to their environment, and alter them only as the quantity and quality of their keep varies, it is for this reason that the writer has, in season and out, advocated the sheep farmer selecting his ewes and rams to the type which is obviously thriving best on his farm, irrespective of what breeds or types may be "fashionable" in the show ring or among stud breeders. If the type is to be altered or improved to auy considerable extent, it can only be done in conjunction with altered or improved pasture, which, in turn, is wholly dependent upon an improvement in soil conditions favouring the healthy growth of superior grasses