TALL FESCUE GRASS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4999, 12 July 1926, Page 3

TALL FESCUE GRASS.

' SERIOUS PLAINS PROBLEM, GRAVENESS OF THE MENACE. The Hauraki Plains. County Council has decided to make another attempt to have tall fescue grass declared a noxious weeji 'within the county. On two occasions a,t least in the past have attempts in this direction been unsuccessful. Cr. Harris, of Waitakaruru, introduced the subject at the 'request of the Farmers’ Union, branch in his district, which is becoming concerned at the rapid spread of the pest from , the drainbanks. The council unanimously decided to support the request, though doubts, were expressed as ,to whether declaring it a; noxious .weed within the county was of much .use on account of the difficulty, of administering the law and the possible hardship that might be cause J. Members admitted the ? seriousness of the menace, and commented on the manner in which the fescue was allowed to spread unchecked on all parts of ,the Plains'.. That ta.ll fescue is spreading and becoming a very grave menace-is only too evident. It is becoming established at so many points and is receiving so flittie checking, that if such a state ■of affairs is allowed to continue settlers will be driven off their farms and land valued will.be ruined. With such st, close demonstration as the Orongo estate, where tail 1 fescue is in absolute possession ’df an-area of a couple of square miles, and' where the Government has spent thousands of pounds in attempting to clear small patches for soldier; settlers yet possibly has not. done ,a - peiP nyworth. of good, it-would’tie thought ■that farmers on clean land would take care to keep their land free and to that end; would clumps when, they appeared on their drain banks or l road frontage's and watch the. place carefully' for A a possible - reappearance. Yet- what is . found but. that the speeds are floating down both ■the rivers and up the .drains leading • into them, anil into the gulf, and the weed, after becoming established on the river and drains banks, it is permitted to flourish and spread. It was vthus that the seeds arrived at Orongo,. and it is by this method that the seeds are at every place on the Plains. . On' t'he country adjacent, to the banks of the Waihou tall fescue has assumed such proportions as to be generally recognised as a grave menace. . On the shores of the gulf 'rbund to Waitakaruru it is becoming almost as. ba.d, and even along the Piako Rtyer it is becoming firmly established^Beyond the Ngarua canal therear? acres of land in its grip, and in the deep peat west of Ngatea it is 'growing. In poor hill country tall fescue, is; a good grass,> but on the rich lands of the Plains it. grows Tank-and almost useless, crowds out ajl other grasses, and becomes, infected with that poisonous fungoid ’ergot, which accounts for so much disease .and mori tality in stock. , 1 > . When firmly, established in small areas’tall flescue can be eradicated, though the process is not easy. Many methods have been tried with, varying degrees of success, and the ,re-, suits) of experiments would undoubtedly be welcomed -by, farmers. However, :wha ; t is more generally, required is ithatzall farmers>should realise the seriousness.- oE'.alloiying/single plants to become established on-the.ir

land.' Possibly if,tall fescue Ti’iere .declared a noxious wead it'would have this effect, ifl none other. ' The whole matter o¥ noxious weeds is one for the - individual farmer rather-than f6r legislation,’ as the Minister of Agriculture pointed out’ in the on Wednesday last. ■"■ .'