Kōrero: Soil erosion and conservation

After burning the native bush or tussock, English grasses and clovers were sown. This had to be done by hand, and on hill country it was a slow and arduous job. After the first flush of fertility from the forest or tussock ashes, fertiliser had to be spread – also by hand – to keep the grass growing. By the 1950s topdressing aircraft were spreading fertiliser much more efficiently.