Six hoof features of dairy cattle : their definition and measurement in relation to trampling of soils and pastures : being thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M. Agr. Sc., Massey Agricultural College, University of New Zealand

Abstract

Trampling of pastures is an inevitable accompaniment of normal grazing, and although the ecological approach to grassland problems has succeeded in unravelling many of the problems of grazed pasture, the exact role of trampling has by no means been fully elucidated Present scientific thought in respect to this problem was well summarized by Melville (1954):- The grazing animal has an effect other than as a manurial and defoliative agent. Pasture plants are continuously being trodden by animals ranging in weight from a few pounds to over half a ton, with loadings up to many pounds per square inch of hoof surface. The effect on plant growth and on soil consolidation is never negligible; on certain soil types and at certain seasons it is the major limiting factor in carrying capacity. The work reported In this thesis deals with a small facet of this total problem, a facet which is claimed to be the initiating point in the chain of reactions involved in the effects of treading on soils and plants. The aim was to define and measure the Important animal determinants of these effects. [From Introduction]