TALL FESCUE MENACE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5105, 25 March 1927, Page 3

TALL FESCUE MENACE.

LTo the EditorJ Sir —In reference to your article ou “Tall Fescue Menace,” we think -that this very bad weed could be got rid of much easier, than you indicate. It must, however, be considered as serious and be taken seriously. The people in the Thames Valley district - as a whole stould cut down tall fescue on sight,'the same as they would shoot a wild animal, never mind if it is on their land or not; and this especially refers to tall fescue growing on the side of drains, as the seed '•—then falls into, the water and floats up and down, sc. that in time the whole 'Of the drains on both sides are bordered by tall fescue plants. This would be particularly serious in that it is harder to get rid of on the drain banks than in the pastures. On pastures it is, we consider, perfectly’ / easy to get rid of in time by the use of paspalum, subterranean clover, and fertilisers. In the writer’s opinion nearly all weeds, from gorse arid blackberry downwards, could be eradixated by cutting, and sowing paspalum, subterranean clover, and then manuring the pasture. The paspalum encroaching on the, say, tall fescue, quickly smothers its root growth by the stronger root growth of the paspalum, and, 'further, the destruction, is helped by stock in the way of and eating. Weeds in general, when growing on highly manured land, grow more succulent and edible, so that stock will nibble even gorse and blackberry under these conditions, and the same applies to tall fescue when once it is cut down and the stock get at the young growth. This method dees not, however, work s;j well on the roadside, or especially on the banks of drains, because these ; cannot be controlled so well by the stock. We think that you would be doing a real service to your district if you impressed upon the public in general about every Christmas the importance of not letting the tall 'fescue seed. If everyone would do his bit the district as a whole would soon get the upper hand, but otherwise if it is left to, seed the position would r be reversed —tall 'fescue wciuld be “top t-dog.” It would really pay local motorists on the road to pull up and remove the seed heads from odd plants of tall fescue'before they were ripe, but how many do. it ? Not being on their own land they ride on. E. YATES,. Yates and Co., Auckland. \ : ’