New Zealand Department of Agriculture.

Manawatu Herald, 14 December 1893, Page 2

New Zealand Department of Agriculture.

JOHN D. RITCHIK, .Secretary. LEAFLETS FOR FARMERS No. ?,. With a view of disseminating as widely as possible information useful to farmers and others, it has been decided to issue from time to time illustrated leaflets, giving in as brief a form as possible the information available on the subject treated of. October, 1893. JOHN D. RITCHIE.

Smalt. Burdock, or Burr-wefd (England) ; Clot or Cockle Burs (America) ; Noogoora Bu«r (Queensland). Toimq folw-qe poisonous to stock ; burrs damage wool.

This plant has unfortunately recently appeared in the colony, and the present leaflet is issued with a view of giving settlers an idea ot its appearance, so that if plants are seen they may be destroyed without delay. Should this plant become acclimatised it will probably cause great los? to both the cattle-raiser and sheepfarmer. . j Some time ago the " Silver- 1 stream/ 1 from Buenos Ayres, discharged a quantity of earth ballast, which was placed on the reclaimed land, near the Wellington Railway j Station. A few months later the ! heap was observed to be covered with a luxuriant growth ot weeds, and from it I collected no less than seventeen species; many of them, unfortunately, ah'eady too well known in the colony, but two or three were new. Amongst- these last was the subject of the present note—namely, Xanthium strummaHum, known in England as the small burdock or bur-weed, in America as the clot or cockle burr, and in Queensland as the Noogoora burr, from the locality where it was ! first observed tobe poisonous to stock. The plant belongs to the composite order, but there may at first, on account of the separation of the male j and female flowers, seem some 1 difficulty in understanding why it should be so classed. A further examination will, however, show its true relationship. The female flower-heads are in small axillary clusters of two or ■ three; the male flower-heads being j placed above them at the top of the j branchlets. After the pollen has '

been dispersed, the male flowers soon drop off, and the female flower heads rapidly develop into oblong burrs, very hard and thickly studded with hooked spines. On the top of the burr are to be seen two very stout beaks, and within will be found two cells, each with a single seed. The hill grown leaves, measuring from 2in to Sin in width, are very similar to those of mallow, with trom three to five lobes, unequally and often coarsely toothed. If a young plant is carefully dug up, the burr from which it grew will lie found attached to the root. The plant is a rank annual, and in Queensland grows to a height of 6fb. or Bft, with wide spreading branches. Purple mottling will frequently be seen on the stems of young specimens. In the earlier stages of developmenfc it is eaten by cattle. Mr Gordon, the Chief Inspector of Stock for Queensland, states that its action is to induce paralysis of the heart, causing death without struggle, and apparently without pain. Fully half the herd on the Noogoora Estate having been killed by it, Dr Bancroft, of Brisbane, undertook experiments would conclusively proved the poisonous nature of the weed. It was introduced into Queensland with cotton from the Southern States of America. Each plant produces numerous burrs, which in sheep country would, from their nature, cause enormous loss to the wool-grower by injuring the fibre of his chief product. T. W. Kirk. September. 189S.