THE SPREAD OF GOATSRUE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2012, 7 August 1919, Page 2

THE SPREAD OF GOATSRUE.

QUESTION BEFORE MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL. NO ACTION TAKEN. At a recent meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce the question of the spread of goatsi’ue, partieu- ■ larly in the Moutoa district, discussed. It was then pointed out that the spreading of this weed wa'Sf' menacing a large area of country 1 as its rapid growth choked everything else on the land, and took control. The weed was said to have been introduced into the country by the. Government, it having been recommended as a good cattle fodder that was used extensively on the Continent, It was first sown on the island at the junction of the Poliongina and Manawatu Rivers, and spread rapidly thereon. Each Hood carried the seeds down the river and deposited them on the banks, and many acres of land along the river frontage were now covered with goatsrue. The claim that it was a good fodder has not been justified, as cattle will not eat it in any quantity. The New Zealand Faxraillers’ Association recognised that the spread of the weed was a great menace and approached the Kairanga and .Manawatu County Councils with the request that it should be declared a • noxious weed. The Kairanga County Council acted on the suggestion of the Flaxmillers’ Association, but no action was taken by the Manawatu County Council. The next move was made by the Fox ton Chamber of Commerce, when a further application was made to the Manawatu County Council to have goatsrue declared a noxious weed, and the letter was dealt with at Tuesday’s meeting of the County Council, In the course of a general dis- 1 eussion members were unanimously of opinion that it would be useless T declaring the pest’a noxious weed and eradicating it from” the’ district until it was dealt with at its source. In this connection it was stated that the weed had its source in the upper reaches of the Manawatu River , in the Gorge and in the Woodville district. Members were -impressed with the spread of the weed in the district as stilled by the Foxton body, and that unless something was shortly done to retard its growth a tremendous area of good land would be rendered useless. If, however, the land at present afflicted was cleared of the pest, and the source of the weed left untouched, the first big'flood; would bring down enormous quantities of seed . and re-sow the weed in even greater quantities. According to Cr. Barber, the shortening and deepening of the river, as had been recently proposed, would obviate the overflow of the river in. its lower reaches and prevent the seed being dis- -71 tributed over the land as at present. Incidentally; the Chairman, Sir James. Wilson, pointed out that according to some authorities goatsrue was in some countries cut when 0 _ -"i' green and used for fodder. The Council declined to declare the pest a noxious weed, until such .**■ time as the source of its growth was dealt with.