CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 838, 9 June 1910, Page 8

CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

. \ BLIGHT AND ERADICATION"., In the oonrse of an interesting letter to the "Bangitikei Advocate,"- Mr. H. H. Venables, of Utiku, writes:—The thistle problem has been under discussion a good dfeal of late, but so far I have not seen any reference made to the "blight" which is - attacking the thistle, in these parts, and completely wiping out whole patches in a. very short space of time. Surely, farmers and -others cannot be. fully alive to. the inestimable value of this blight, or there would be some talk of taking steps to preserve and' cultivate, during the winter months, .what will undoubtedly prcjve to be the one and only means of ever ridding the country of the thistle pest. It is a real live and tangible blight, plainly to be seen with the naked eye, in the form of countless thousands of tiny green insects, something, after the form'of the rose tree Wight, which appear to attack the stem of the thistle; and causes the whole of. it,after a time; to turn completely black- • and wither off. Possibly it will survive tho winter. If it is lost to us for ever, then, indeed, shall we have cause to bitterly regret our apathy. For here -is put right into our hands the most effective means of ever coping with tho Call'fornian thistle,"and saving to the farmers thousands of pounds, which are spent in ft vain effort to check it. Some. appear to doubt the efficiency of this.blight, because,' as they say, it does not attack the roots, but I say.-that it does do so, having pulled up several blighted stalks with three or four inches of .root completely blackened. Even supposing that the roots .were not affected with blight, are. , they ' going to survive for any length of time ; without tops to< them ?-. .I .'think, not. If. that wer* ■ <tri, - then, indeed, could tiiey .never be killed by cutting. - I forwarded a parcel of-blighted-thistles to the-Gov- ' ernment Biologist, Wellington, but ~ apparently it was not sufficiently interesting to warrant an acknowledgment. I consider that'the presence, of this blight should be generally| made knjwn, and ah effort, made to distribute it throughout the Dominion. I would like to add that tho blight does not affect tho grass in any way.