DURING 1919 and 1920, Cockayne (1919a, b, c; 1920a, b, c) published a series of papers on the montane tussock-grasslands of New Zealand. Then, as now, there were worries about overgrazing because carrying capacity had declined frotm one sheep per 1.2 ha, to one sheep per 2 ha (Cockayne, 1919a). As part of his work Cockayne observed plant species eaten by sheep at Hanmer during January (Cockayne, 1919b) and September 1919 at the same site (Cockayne, 1920b). On both occasions stocking rate was very heavy for the duration of the observation period. In January, 281 rams grazed the area for nine days and in September it was grazed by 645 hoggets for five days. As the total area was slightly more than 10 ha it is not surprising that Cockayne (1920b) commented after the second grazing that in places "the grass was cropped as closely as if it had been mown with a scythe. . . ."
