A NEEDLESS SOARE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1810, 9 April 1888, Page 2

A NEEDLESS SOARE.

(from our own correspondent )

At a meeting of the South Rakaia Road Board last Monday, it was reported that a large pa'ch of the Oalifornian thistle had been found on the Lower Acton road and grubbed up. Although there was exhibited m the office a sample of the thistle destroyed, and it wag thought to be the dreaded Oalifornian, a mistake was made, and I am pleased to report that it was not the peat so much Bpokeu of. On the day after the meeting Mr Mian, manager of the Acton estate, received a couple of samples of the true Californian thistle f<om Mr John Maepherson, manager of the Totara estate, Oamaru. On comparing these with the Bample m thoßoad Board's office the difference was at once Been. Th» remarks of Mr Maopherson may be of interest to farmers and others, and I give them. He says that a piece of land infested with the Oalifornian thistle on the Totara estate waß let for potato cropping, and the cropper undertook, when lie leased the land, to completely kill this patch out, but after all the ploughing, narrowing, grubbing, drilling, etc., that the land got m planting the potatoes, the thistles still kept growing. He then set hia men on to pull up every shoot that could be seen, and this thoy did at three different times, but it grew as luxuriantly an ever, They then hoed it down three or four times, but that did no good. Mr Maepherson then advised them to keep cutting it above ground, which they did nine limes before harvest commenced, imd now when they are digging the potatoes, the plants are all about the size of the samples sent (12 to 18 inches high), and cover about a quarter of an aero of land , Mr Macplierson now proposes covering the patch with straw and eeoing what effect that will have. _ I might mention that the thistles exhibited at tho Board's offica "are of a class not known m the district, and m many respt eta resemble the Californian The seed is Hko a long Jioseed, and is heayy, so that it is not likely to blow about much, and its spreading may thus be prevented.