Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 1905. PROPAGATING NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3497, 16 March 1905, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 1905. PROPAGATING NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Ixteresting, Imi t rather inc.mclasiye, j testimony was given in the course ol a | sitting of (he Land Commission t».t | Invercargill regarding the seeding ot noxious weeds. Mr Thomas Aysox, an old settler in the Wyndham district, stated that the principal object lie had in view was to disabuse (be minds of the commPsio:i"rs, some of whom had expressed the '.'pinion that (he presence of noxi ms weeds in the North Island \V,r? :d Icdsl In a measure due to grass seed procured from this part of the colony. He described, it as -abniird to trace.die, unclean condition of the lands in. the North to tills source, stating that the grass seed was put in the stack bef ire the thistle or ragwort came into seed. As the commission would probably refer to (His matter in Its report to Parliament, he thought it important, in the interests of tins natt of the coi niy, that tlie blot should he known. Ihisiie or ragwort CO'iild not possibly go with grass seed, Iv’canse it did not bloom till February, or seed till March, while grass seed was slacked in January. Anut’m-r view was taken by Mr MrAhni.r, a King Country settler, who said tb it seed from Southland had polluted lands in the North to his knowledge. S >nie lime ago a large number of settlers were burnt out, 1 >ck, stock, and barrel, and the Government cam; to the rescue wilh sued from this part of the colony, the consequence being that ragwort had appeared where the seed was sawn. Seed from here had also be n used on new bush laud in the North, taken tip under Site h um .lead system, and the weed had taken complete control. If ragwort was cut but not destroyed, even hri.are it came into (lower it would seed, and this applied also to the Canadian thistle. Ifhehadany say in the matter not one acre of grass seed would come to the Norfh from Southland unless the paddocks from which it was taken were first inspected and given a clean certificate. There were thousands of acres of land yet to be grassed, and the necessity for this precaution was great. In view of the great evil wrought by the introduction of these pests in newly settled country it would seem a fitting case for further inquiry lay the Government to discover if any system can be devised to prevent the spread of undesirable seed. Mr McArdi.e’s suggestion of inspection seems the only one affording a way out of the difficulty.