THE GRASS GRUB.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1129, 17 May 1911, Page 8

THE GRASS GRUB.

IN THE WELLINGTON DISTRICT. Tho grass grab is fairly bad this year, and is not confined to the South Island. Jt is common enough in tho Wellington district just now. In a telegram from Timaru, published on Monday, it was obeerved that tho pest had become more noticeable since the rains. A Wellington authority to whom this remarks was referred, said that probably during the dry weather the grubs had remained more or less quiescent, but now that the soil had been moistened they were'becoming active. Probably, he added, they will not be really worse after.the drought than would have been the case had the season been normal. There was no known means of fighting the grub. A while ago the Fields Instructor in tho South Isjnnd reported.to the Department of Agriculture on the iniluenco of various systems of sowing grass upon the prevalence of the. grass grub, and said that he was inclined to believe that i 1 was worst in grass sown out with a white crop, and was not so prevalent in grass sown in autumn.

The following is a report by Inspector Scott, Lincoln:—"ln connection with grass grub, farmers generally seem to be of opinion that grass sown out with white crops is more subject to the attack of grub than when it is laid down, say, with a crop of rape. Several of tho farmers, speaking on tho subject, were of opinion that the rotaton of crops has very little significance in its relations to the attack of grass by grub. Jly own opinion, formed as a result of observations made during the past few months, is that

grass sown out with rape is, during its first year, rarely it' ever attacked; and, also, that it remains, longer free from, grub than when. the grass has been sown with a white crop. In fact, although many grass paddocks which last year had been sown out. with white crops have been badly devastated, I have not seen ono instance of serious: damage by that pest in last year's -grass sown out with rape. "On Banks Peninsula the experience lias been that whenever the grass had been allowed to.remain long, thus preventing the-operations of birds, the damage doneb'y grub was much greater than when the grass had.been well grazed down." ■When the grub was causing troublo in Hawke's Bay Inst winter a farmer wroto to the Department, asking how to overcomo the pest. The Biologist, in a-reply, said:—"Unfortunately, no means are- yet known, for tho. thorough control of tho New Zealand grass-grub. It is always" worst in light lands, where it does an immense amount' of damage. The only thing that has been found to be of anyreal good is to encourage starlings as much as possible. ... On ordinary pas-ture-land nothing is known that will control the pest, but encouraging starlings and a liberal dressing with salt, or. better, still, with kainit, will greatly lessen the attacks."