THE CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 279, 2 August 1889, Page 3

THE CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

... . 4 • ■ There are some pubic men who are not happy unless they are running their peculiar fad to death, and amongst these must be reckoned Mr T. Mackenzie of " Californian " thistle notoriety. Year filter year with a persistency worthy of a^ better cause, does this member bring in the Californian Thistle Bill, and fortunately fails in obtaining it pasting into law. This year he again makes, his, attempt, and jnay be will succeed as menibersa-t times allow their softer feelings to g^t the better of their understandiHg, one of. his strongest, oppoienis Regretting his being unable to vote for the.' secondreadi&g as "he know" that the. honorable gentleman had made it the York of his. .lifet]me." However we'll trust, tliajfc'pajraisliency will not J in this caso be successful. The thistle is undoubtedly a weed and a nuisaneo, but 4he same is known, and is of anciept standing and . this particular ono is no more a Califo - nian thistle, except by introduction from its native home, Kngland. On the motion : f or the socond reading, the Bill was subjected to much examination and the Minister of Lands expressed his opinion that it would cause very little trouble if the adoption was left, optiona l , as " very few local bodies would adopt the Bill." lOneaaember said- that tliemover bad stated it il would cost from ,L4O to £50 an acre to eradicate this woed. Why, all the money in Neyr Zealand was not sufficient to eradicate it entirely from the colony They had ouly to go. ta.the Hutt, or up mto tho Waira-apn, and they would see it growing thw*' in übund anoe. It would be found pretty 'wel' j ev»rTwher» He rein- inhered the j time, in. years past, when the Scotch j thistlo first cama to Now Zealand, j and a law was p t«sed to eradicate it ; I aud he , believed tliH.- had. ruined ! many of. the farm is in tryin*? to do : it. They had' to cut down, to the extent of 10ft or 12ft for the purpose | pf era%ut..n|f,the. weo4\;.iind ov.on | then tihvj. di 4 vat fluct»f4} for the thistled own spread ; aB \»vw the country.'' ' ' A ttdtWr ' ineinl»v«* '** ■> \ t«*'l ' that suice laHt s^eisioM Jj'tuM P>W*& oa%\9:nQft!^ f i\f/9iyAi^oi --tk s notorious tbiatle. He ha<t - ■ wat»;ho*l it m it grew, and was fufly 'sntiafiwl that it was the same tnistU* tliat U had been acquainted with from the dajiof bia youth; aud.he ,wa» not at all afraid' of it. The course be took with it was to allow it. to grow until it was in full bVu)in, so ttiat he could see it in its vnrioiw. ntage». and then he put, the n^ythu through it, a»4.foußd,tliat even th« *»io "ate apd appareui)y enjoyed tbo tliist;e >v«ry much. If cattle an^' hordes had been there, there not have beta a stem of it loft The stalks were' sweety and when, they 'Withei-eil in the sun cattle Voulleat tkm: i' TJi)re ! were : mauy wee^e far mor^jiqiiouß to fai-wew than ••' tht*. so«(salled Callforfiian . „.v . ..'». t. ■ ■ . i - ■ '"\

thistle." So the statement* went round, those member* who knew any thing of farming, laughing the Bill to scorn, saymg, they had been looking for tbe Calif ornian thist'e, and discovered it was the one which pricked their fingers at home, and which was one nothing would eradicate. It had spread from England to Canada, from there to the United States, thence to California and now to Australia. In Tasmania where there is a law on the subject, it has been found impossible to cope with the spread of it. and each year more stringent clauses are proposed. These fads are ruinous, for what man would care to own land when y^ar after year he might be called upon to eradic»te a weed, which is deposited on his land by flood, wind, or other ways in ■■ which seeds are moved without the intervention of human agency. "We fear however j that there are some local bodies who ( would act different'y to the Minister | of Lands opinion, and we therefore hold it to be wisest to create no laws but what are wise and necessary. | A kindly feeling to the best of mem- ! bers should not sanctiou the House giving way to a fad which must prove costly, if not ruinous to a number of hard working settlers.