TALL FESCUE MENACE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5079, 24 January 1927, Page 3

TALL FESCUE MENACE.

SPREADING OVER THE DISTRICT.

SERIOUSNESS NOT REALISED.

On the western bank of the Waihou

River and at the most northern part o’f the County of Hauraki Plains is a tract of over two thousand acres of land which is, the problem and menace. df the whole Hauraki district. Very fertile and easily drained land, the manner in which it has been allowed to become absolutely over-run with tall fescue has made it almost worthless 'for farming purposes, and nothing but a breeding place for a pest which, if unchecked, will continue to spread ruin. Already the fescue, has spread to a great part of the Plains, and to the land along the shores of the Hauraki Gulf, yet, while the seriousness seems to be realised to some, extent, no thorough attempt has been made to deal with the peril. It would be a. national calamity if the fine Hauraki district —-the most fertile in the. Dominion—were to be allowed to get into the grip of fescue, as Orongo has done, yet it is certain that unless a start is quickly made to fight this pest on thorough and systematic lines the battle will prove a long and strenuous one. While Orongo remains as at present the future of the whole Hauraki district is menaced. It is the. base from which infection is spreading rapidly along every road and up every waterway, and though there are others sources cf infection Orongo is the greatest, and once removed the spread could be kept in check 'from the other sources'.

Representations to have tall fescue grass declared a noxious weed within the county have, been made several times by the County Council, Turua Town Board, and the two drainage boards, but without effect, as the Government realises that it would be difficult to administer the Act. The Agricultural Department does not appear to have done or advocated anything in the way of controlling the fescue—it has only been concerned with the problems of the Stettlers on the areas already affected. To eradicate tall fescue grass from the Orongo block Would be a colossal undertaking, but surely it would be worth while : the future of the whole Hauraki district is at stake. If on better method is known, the settlers should be removed from the block—they will probably be driven out before long—and the sea turned in. Regular flooding and scorching by the s|un during the hot months may be sufficient, but if not it would be an easy matter to submerge the whole, area by means of the existing stopbanks: and an alteration to the floodgates. Something drastic is essential.

Dra.stic action is also necessary to prevent the further spread of the fescue. The individual action bf settlers cannot be depended upon, for the necessity of every farmer keeping' his land and road frontage clean has been stressed on many occasions, and should be sufficiently apparent not to need mentioning, yet to the disgrace of the district it must be admitted that it is not being done. There remains compulsion, either by the force of public opinion if .there are sufficient qualified to throw the first stone, or by the formation of a fescue control board on the lines O'f the rabbit boards. If there is no existing authority for the formation of such a board it could doubtlessly be secured, or a board might be set up by agreement of all settlers. The idea is not an impossible one, nor are the objects unattainable if the seriousness of the. position isi faced and sufficient fearless men take up the matter in the way it deserves.

The history o'f the Qrongo Settlement should be a sufficient incentive. It was during the war period that seeds 'from the hills beyond Te Aroha floated down the. Waihou River and lodged on the rich Or«ngo flats in the fertile soil of which ; they grew and thrived without hindrance. The owner of the block sold the land to the Government for a returned soldier settlement in 1919, the price paid being £32 10s an acre. By that time the 'fescue was firmly established all over the block, and it was recognised that something would have to be done to make the land fit 'for the soldier settlers. Ploughing with swamp ploughs and tractors was tried for five years at a cost which must have run into thousands of pounds. To-day there is not a sign of that work, and it is safe to say that there is not a square yard of clean pasture on the •block for every ten acres of tall fescue. Opanae Road was metalled for several miles through the middle o'f the block, and to-day the northern end is overgrown with dense fescue five or six feet high. The Government succeeded in getting 27 sections settled. During the last five years some farms have had many owners, and. now only 23 are occupied, and it is freely stated that half a dozen or so settlers, will walk off before next winter. One man walked off recently, leaving improvements worth £l2o'o, yet it is understood that there were no applicants for the section at a recent ballot, and when the farm was offered by tender there was only one price submitted, and that was £450. Only the real triers now remain at the. settlement, and, like all struggling settlers, who have spent years in endeavouring to bring their land into production, they are reluctant to leave, although with resources exhausted they realise that it is only a question of time. With their experience—and no man should know better the way to tackle this particular problem—ther are confident that with further financing they could wage a winning fight. They have been assured by the Government, which has sunk a great deal of money in the settlement, that "the ship would not be allowed to sink for the sake of a ha’peth of tar,” yet instead of getting sympathetic treatment one-quarter of their small 'factory cheques is taken to pay rent and interest on current accounts. The mortality of their herds on account of ergot poisoning ranges from forty to sixty per cent, annuolly, and

settiers are endeavouring to exist on ■from six to twenty cows, which is all their farms will carry at present. One settler applied for a loan for the purpose of replacing a cowshed blown down in last year’si gale, to purchase another horse, and to buy further 'fencing material, manure, and grass seed. After the first clearing of fescue it is necessary to plant temporary pastures for three or four years. The settler was granted £lOO and instructed to expend not more than £3O on a shed; to purchase a horse and 'fence 40-odd chains of drain, and to expend the balance on manure and grass seed for his 40-odd acres.

Conversing with the settlers, it is difficult to ascertain their state of mind. At one moment they are full °f hope and optimism, and at the next moment appear bitter and full of regret. They grab at any straw that may bring some relief, and they advocate that the government, having made a mistake, should not desert them. They point out that if relieved of financial worry for a period they could clean fifteen acres of fescueaffected land a year, and would soon be in a position to support themselves and repay the advances. They argue that if the Government put them on a wage of. say, £3, a week—little, enough for a man and his family—the cost loaded on to their land would only be £lO an acre. Better this than have them thrown on to the already swollen ranks o’f the unemployed. Undoubtedly the men now 1 in the settlement are triers —they would have left years, ago were they not —and their plea seems sound. In addition to bringing land into production they would be doing a greater work by decreasing the amount of tall fescue.