The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1887. THE CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1540, 23 April 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1887. THE CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

There seems to be no limit to the number of the plagues which afflict agriculturists, and the worst of it is that there is always some new trouble croppirg up. The latest of these — not we fear by any means the last — is the ! threatened incursion of the Californian thistle, a noxious weed which has wrought an infinite amount of mischief m Victoria and Tasmania. It is said that this pernicious plant takes absolute possession, of the soil, growing m circular patches and killing out all ! vegetation m an ever-widening circle, as young plants spring up from the creeping roots of the old ones. As it seems that at least one gentleman m this district has the misfortune to own land on which this weed has appeared it becomes a matter of interest to farmers to be informed as to the best means of getting rid of so unwelcome an occupant of the soil. The Minister for Lands has, therefore done, a service by forwarding to .the newspapers for publication a memorandum on this subject from the pen of the Secretary for Agriculture, Mr W, de G. Reeves, who says that this thistle, botanically described as carduus atdcnsiS) and which has been known to exist m several localities m the colony for some years past, has lately " begun to spread m a manner calculated to cause damage to the country," and expresses the opinion that " unless farmers and others on whose land this pest has already appeared set to work seriously to fight and conquer it, the pest will, m all probability, increase year by year, as will the difficulty and cost of getting land clean, until legislation will be necessary to compel landowners and occupiers to eradicate the thistle on their properties, as is the case m Victoria and Tasmania." This thistle, he says, doej not, happily, appear to increase very fast, but this slowness of growth is the only favorable point about it, affording farmers a chance to cope with it successfully. " Hitherto, (continues Mi Reeves) the practice out here — that is, where it has not been left to its own devices — has been to heap straw to tht height of several feet on the patches and set fire to it, but this method doe* not kill the thistles — only checks their for a time — and they spring up a: healthy as ever ; the best way seems tc be to poison them out with eithei chloride of lime, as recommended bj Mr Pearson, Agricultural Chemist ir ; Victoria, or salt. . . Several patche: that I saw on a farm m the Eyretor District 'in North Canterbury, had apparenty been killed out by the use o common bacon salt, the method being to mow the thistles down and spreac the salt to the depth of about an incr all over the patch. It is necessary tc keep a very close and careful watch foi young plants making an appearance s foot or so outside the regular ring which should be promptly covered will a handful or salt on discovery. Anothei gemieman, m the Ashburton districi intends using chloride of lime, and hai ordered a quantity direct from England ; the price delivered on the truck; at Dunedin or Christchurch by the New Zealand Drug Company is £i 15s pei cwt.,in cases of four tins of 28ID each less quantity at £2. What quantity i is necessary to use to effectually get ric of the thistle is doubtful, and I shoulc much like to find this out by practica experience ; no doubt salt would be th< cheapest to use, but it is probable i greater length of time would be taker m killing out the thistle." Mr Reeves says that this thistle has been growing alongside the railway line at Stirling Otago, for several years, and concludes an interesting and timely memorandurr by pointing out that if the pest is no strenuously fought wherever it is founc the consequences will become verj serious, as there is every probabilitj of its seed being spread about by tha use of seeds grown on infected land, ♦• As it is (he says) there is grave sus picion that the thistle has been introduced into some districts through the use of American clover seeds," a bin which should not be lost sight of b) those who are laying down pasture. Ii will be well if the County Council keeps an eye on the threatened dangei with a view to the exercise, if necessary of the powers conferred by the Counties Act, which enables the framing 0 special bylaws to compel the eradication of noxious weeds oilplants.