Abstract
MOST of New Zealand's soils are inherently infertile and fertility has had to be built up per medium of clovers, pasture and grazing animals. On the pastoral land, nitrogen deficiency is the main limiting factor to increased production. The key to improvement lies in the clover plant which has the capacity to supply enough nitrogen for itself and the requirements of the associated grasses. At Palmerston North Sears (1952) found the nitrogen fixed was equivalent to 15 cwt sulphate of ammonia; in Canterbury, 100 lb, equivalent to 5 cwt of sulphate of ammonia, would probably be a reasonable annual average. To utilize the high dry matter produced under favourable conditions, high stock numbers are required which, in association with all-year grazing, favours a rapid buildup of soil fertility. In turn, high soil fertility enables high-yielding crops to be grown and this situation exists in most parts of New Zealand.
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