THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1929. BLACKBERRY CONTROL BY GOATS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5382, 1 February 1929, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1929. BLACKBERRY CONTROL BY GOATS

The eradication of the blackberry pest is of such serious consequence to landowners, local authorities, and the country as. a whole that every method suggested to stamp out the. evil is worthy of consideration. Ln the January “New Zealand Journal of Agriculture” M'r H. Guthrie-Smith, of Hawke’s Bay, gives an interesting, treatise on blackberry control by goats. Upon his return frqm Europe in 1919 he found his sheep run, which in pre-war days had bqen weedless, overrun with blackberries. Digging, poisoning, ploughing, chipping, superphosphating, and salting were tried with unsatisfactory results. Digging was found to be the least expensive and most satisfactory where only scattered bushes existed. But not until the introduction of goats was the menace properly stamped out. At first some care had to be exerc.ised in barking the goats back to the infested patches, but after a week or two they settled down to- a. regular diet of blackberries, The amount of grass taken was negligible ; they preferred, in fact, coarse, hard hejrbage to the best grasses. From Mr Smith’s conclusions, and the results, of numerous other experiments ’ with go.ats, they would appear to be the most 'Satisfactory way of dealing with this class of noxious, weed. The more; general use of goats has, no dloubt, not been put in practice to a greater extent on account of. their being, regarded as non-productive and of no use; except for t'he one set purpose, bringing no visible monetary return, to. the owner beyond cleaning his land. Why goats should be so regarded in New Zealand is ratjier hard to'understand. Abroad, in Europe, Asia, and South America, th e goat herds are regularly milked', and most delicious cheejse produced. In Great Britain, as well as, on the Continent, French and Swiss, Gruyere cheese, made entirely from goats’ milk, is an acknowledged favourite with an enormous saje. Why cannot the New Zealand herds, be milked and the British Isles be supplied with New Zealand Gruyer.e cheese—Empire cheese ? The market is there, why not capture it ? There are, too, somewhat coarser goats’ milk cheesy, like those of Northern Chile, which make excellent eating. T;here the milk is used instead of c.ows’ milk for household purposes, cattle being unable to find enough tq live on fom the arid mountain 'sides. Medically, goats,’ milk is favoured for certain uses. Clippings of angora goats have a ready salq. There appears to be no reason why New Zealanders could not turn their goat herefe into moneymakers. Their feeding expenses are nil—blackberry bushes will supply all their wants —they need no special attention, so- that all they produced commercially would be absolute profit.