Bush Sickness

The land to the north east and west prospered, however, it was as if there was a line in the sand stretching across the South Waikato dividing the land to the South. This land was often barren and stock withered away with a debilitating disease known as "Bush Sickness". It was as if by some mysterious curse a blanket had been thrown across the South. The early settlers discovered that pumice land was indeed not the Promised Land. The porous pumice lacked the nutrients required to grow the rich pastures that were found in the neighbouring provinces.

The challenges they faced were compounded by the fact that the pumice soil also lacked the trace element of Cobalt. It was the lack of this element that caused the disease commonly known as Bush Sickness. Although this deficiency was discovered in 1917 it was not until 1937 that topdressing of pastures to increase the nutrient levels in poor soils became normal practice. It was at that time the discovery of including minute amounts of cobalt into the fertilizer, eliminated Bush Sickness almost overnight.

Unfortunately, it was a lifetime too late for many who tried in vain to make a living from farming the barren land. However, there were some who survived. Much of the land was converted into plantations of exotic trees such as Pinus radiata (California Pine) and Canadian Redwood. But by far it was the Pinus radiata that dominated the landscape.