The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1886. THE CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1430, 13 December 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1886. THE CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

In last issue we republished from the Notth Otago Times a paragraph announcing the appearance in the Oamaru district of that dreadful pest, the Californian thistle, which has proved so disastrous in Tasmania. There it is said that large areas of land have been rendered almost, if not entirely, valueless through being overrun by this plant. Referring to its introduction into this colony, a Mr Dixon writes a very earnest letter to the Canterbury Times, in which he refers to the presence of the Californian thistle as a “ grave calamity, a pest compared with which the rabbit nuisance is insignficant; a pcs', which, if once allowed to establish itself, will mean gradual ruin to all connected with farming.” The same writer says that £xo apiece for the utter destruction of every Californian thistle in Canterbury would be a cheap get off for the Colony. Mr Dixon urges the immediate appointment of inspectors who shall see that proper and efficient means are taken for the eradication of the plants. “It is not well-cared-for farms that the damage will come from, but waste lands, roadsides, and river-beds, from which the thistles would rapidly spread.” Referring to this a contemporary urges that those farmers who know that the thistle has reached their lands should take warning in time, and while endorsing this advice, we would also urge that the County Council should forthwith take the matter into consideration. On the motion of Mr Ivess, there were last year included in the Counties Act special provisions enabling the county authorities to expend county funds for the eradication of any such noxious plant from roads, reserves, and riverbeds under their control, and also to pass bylaws to compel eradication from private lands. As there is reason to believe that it once this thistle gets firmly established it will be a worse nuisance even than the sparrows or the rabbits, no time should be lost in taking measures to prevent so great a disaster. We sincerely hope some of our County Councillors will take the matter up promptly, remembering that a stitch in time saves nine and that a penny is often more effectual in preventing evil than many pounds spent in attempting to cure it when once it has become established,