RAGWORT MENACE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 72, 12 April 1937, Page 7

RAGWORT MENACE

Seriousness Not Fully Recognised ITS HOLD INCREASING The menace from the rapid increase of ragwort and the need for the educating of farmers towards the need for its eradication was again stressed by members of the Hawke's Bay County Council to-day. "I don't tliink that all recognise ragwort until it is too late," said Cr. S; M. Palmer, when bringing* the matter before the council. "I think that it is up to the department to suggest something, or else say that it is impossible to cope with the joh. In regard to ragwort,' a few years ago, I pulled up a few roots on my property. Last year I pulled up hundreds of roots and this year thousands of themu There is the question of whether stock carry- ragwort and how far. -The suggestion by the department is that we should carry the baby,5' continued Cr. Palmer. "It looks as if the department wants to shuffle its responsibility," said Mr F. B. Logan, chairman. "In regard to the printing of pamplilets, it would be an easy matter for the department to print illustrations of weeds in the same way that cereals and other matters appear in their journal. The farmers have got to be educated up to the necessity of eradicating ragwort. An inspector might ride over a 'property for a long time and not see ragwort down in the gullies. The Dannevirke County Council at its last meeting stated that the ragwort had got out of hand. There is a great deal of it at Norsewood and Takapau. I was recently up at the back of Te Pohue, and the country was absolutely yellow." Cr. M. S. Chambers said that the question should be taken up again with fche department. It would be a costly undertaking for local bodies to prirf pamphlets when the department had all the facilities available. It was ridiculous for th© department to suggest that local bodies should do itCr. E. H. Beamish said that it was of paramount importance to the primary producers to look after something at their back-door. It appeared to him that if many farmers recognised ragwort, they did Dot recognise its seriousness. In the light country up the Taihape road ragwort was getting a big hold. The weed was much more serious than the department was prepared to admit. It was decided that the whole question should be again taken up with the department, which had the traiiied staff at its disposal for dealing with it.