Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1926. THE VALUE OF LUPIN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2986, 14 January 1926, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1926. THE VALUE OF LUPIN.

IT is fortunate that 1 lie Manawatu County Council stayed its hand in declaring lupin a noxious weed, otherwise there would have been a justifiable protest from numbers of settlers who know the value of this wonderful plant in reclaiming and fertilising light sandy land and preventing sand drift. The lupin is probably the oldest known fertiliser, and was used by the ancient Romans for enriching the soil. It is a nitrogenous plant and its value in this respect is probably little known to those who would ruthlessly ban it. To say that lupin encroaches on good land is far fetched, because grass will choke its growth, and it is absurd to compare it with gorse, broom, blackberry or goatsrue, which are robbers of the soil and difficult to eradicate. It is true that it affords shelter to rabbit infested areas, but not to the same extent as other noxious growths referred to. We know of sand-swept spaces, planted with lupin, which have been converted into good grass land. The method adopted was to first plant the lupin seed and let it flourish until there was a good growth, then cut it and beneath the cut plants spread grass seed. The cut plants quickly decay on the surface and act as a fertiliser to the young grass which effectively chokes the growth of the lupin. Where lupin has grown for any length of time it should not be burnt off or the surface of the ground disturbed, but treated as above stated. The oily lupin seed retains its fertility beneath the surface for years, but the grass chokes it out of existence. The treatment of sandy wastes by lupin cultivation is the surest and most economical method of converting such areas into pasture and instead of its eradication settlers should encourage its growth on sand-swept areas. Its removal from roadways should be willingly undertaken by landowners affected.