GRASS GRUB PLAYS HAVOC.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1199, 7 August 1911, Page 8

GRASS GRUB PLAYS HAVOC.

IN CANTEIiBUEY. Describing a short drive from the Cust Railway Station'to a neighbouring: /armors' homestead, a Christchurch writer remarked on the seriousness of the damage done by the grass grub as under:— 'A paddock that had been sown in wheat lay black.and baro and dreary, next to one that was brightly, green with the youn" growing crop. 'The one had been attacked- by the grass grub, and the other had not. Grass paddocks weTeseen which the grubs had eaten so bare that it seemed they would scarcely carry tho proverbial goat. A turnip crop was no more than a collection ot rotting vegetables. Even a field that had,been left fallow had not cscapad, wild -oats and Borrel. having fce-aii eaten away. Local . favmers wero unanimous that the profits arising' from the Eyreton-Horrellville district had been reduced by at least fifty per cent. by.tho ravages of tho grub. At a conference of farmers, called ■to consider the position in regard to the grub, Mr. .J. Cross said that his land •had been seriously affected. He' had" tried, a number of. things, and had found tliit. the action of kainit w : as efi'ective.'Hi! had applied kainit, two cwt. to the acre, and tho next year had found that both grass ajid wheat crop had escaped tho pest The cost of kainit was M per ton. lie had experimented . also with Bait, which cost only £2 '2s.- per tan, arid so far the crops on tho land treated had not- been attacked; but the latter experiment hsd-uot yet: had a fair trial. He had noticed that the grass grubs-had caused more trouble since the attempt to exterminate small birds. Also starling* and sea martins seemed to have -deserted tho district to some extent. The lastnamed bi'rds_ lived almost 'exclusively on grubs, and, sinco there was food for thorn 'in plenty, he was at a loss to understann their departure. The sparrows only went for grubs when other food was scarce, but it. was obvious that they did some measure <?f good. He would suggest that hostilities against small birds should' be suspended for a year or" so. If by destroying the birds they allowed the grubs to exist; the euro was worse'than' the_ 'disease. ;

Mr. G. P. Horrell declared that constant working, did no good, except that it perhaps allowed the birJs an opportunity of getting at the grubs. He knew of one plot of land which had been worked thoroughly for twelve months on end, and it was one of the worst examples in th» district. Ploughing immediately before Ilia beetles took wing, , which _ was usually about November, to .his mind, was the best. i£ followed by rolling down. Ploughing while tho beetles were about was unwise, ,as tho rough ground of the furrows, provided shelter for both beetle_ and grub. On'o of the oldest farmers of tho district was of tho same opinion. The grass grub, to his -certain knowledge, would cat all classes of crops, with tho possible exceptions of beans'and peas. . He had received word from Southland that land treated with lime fared worse than that left alone.. .Lime loosened the soil and tho pest" found its'life easier for that reason. It had been said that more Manure meant fewer grubs,'but the most heavily-manured paddock ' on his- farm had suffered "the worst. Referring to .methods of controlling the pest, 3lr. Horrell said that, like tho majority of those present, he, had tried the lighting of flics at might at tho time that tho lieptl.es were Hying, and like them he had discovered that the effect was practically nil. Ho favoured a truoo with th* small birds and ths encouragement of starlings.

Mr. J. E. -Gardiner agreed that tho pest had been worse since the trapping of sparrows had been undertaken on a whotcsalo scale.. Itf frosty weather the grubs bored deeper into the ground, although he had noticed that they were less active after the recent succession of slight frosts.

It was decided that each should observe tho progress of the. pest, anil should take ■Buch steps as to him seemed fit. At a later date they could meet together anil compare notes, so that one might benefit by the experience of the others.