THE "YELLOW PERIL" IN H.B.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 28, 17 February 1937, Page 15

THE "YELLOW PERIL" IN H.B.

Spread of Ragwort Needs Checking OR. ANNETT'S VIEWS From reports tec.eived from Hawke '* Bay oiotorists who have recently returned from touring during the holidays, it is apparent that the spread of ragwort in many districts Is still being allowed to continUe practically uncontrolied. For this state of affairs the individual .farmer milBt accept a considerable part of the responsibility. .A motorist who returned' from tixe soutliern end of • the Bay of Plenty a few days ago reports a very rapid spread. on' the river iiats at the mouth of the. Motu river. ihe road to Te Haha is down this section, axxd holi-day-makers who have journeyed to Te Kaha and b'eyoixd state that the Weed has secured a dangerous hold there. Latge Areas of Weed. • Another traveiler who returned during the week-end statea that large afeas ivere hotieed at Lake Rotoiti and between Mamaku and Tirau. There whs one particularly large patclr On. tliO roadside past the lake. Between Mamaku and' Tirau the patches were in kiliy and neglected. sections, with little on the regularly grazed i'arm lands on either side of the Mamaku hills. ihe Weed was in fuli flower, and ixo action seemed to have been taken to prevent its spread to the clean properties ciose. at hand. Dr. H. E. Annett, of Matangi, who Was a resident of Hastings soxne years ago, sums up the position as far as the spread of .ragwort is ooncerned in the following. letter;— . "We read a great deal about the rag-' wort oxenace, and at various meetings of farmers resolutions are passed cailing on the Governmeiit to take action in the matter. Very valuable work is being undertaken by some of our scientific workers in New Zealand. It is not sufficiently realised, however, that unless the individual farmer does his best to control this weed the eiforts of the scientific workers must fail. "There are areas in New Zealano where the weed has got beyond the control of individual farmers, and qne nyoipathises with the occupants of such areas. Personally "I am much more concerned about the rapid spread oi ragwort in our intensely farmed dairying areas. The spread here is mainly due to the carelessness of individual farmers. bix years ago specimens oi ragwort were rare around Matangi. Today the area is heavily infested. The reason is not far to seek. There are thousands of ragwort plants in full flower within a rnile or so of the Matangi factory. I mentxon Matangi because I live there, but the same applies to many other intensive dairying districts. * Danger Not Realised. "Many of the farmers do not reaiise the danger. Each flowering plant oi ragwort gives rise to thousands oi seeds, each with a ring of silky burxs, enabling it to float long distances, and hence the area infected spreads rapidly. I maintain that there is no excuse for the number of ragwort plants, to be seen in full flower in areas such a& these. Directly a ragwort plant flowers, it is a conspicuous object and a good farmer should consider it a disgrace to himself to let it remain. The flowers should not be cut and allowed to lie or the seed sets. They should be collected in a sack and burned or buried at intervals. I feel that it is merely thoughtlessness on the part oi' farmers which allows these flowering plants to remain, and I trust this letter may help to improve the position. "To my mind the rnan with a few flowering ragwort plants near his house deserves a penhlty even more tlxan the man with a large atea of ragwort in a heavily-infested district. Unloss this vsarning, offered in the best inierests of farmers, is taken to heart damage due to the spread of ragwort will be irr»parable."