NOXIOUS WEEDS CONTROL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4522, 25 October 1930, Page 2

NOXIOUS WEEDS CONTROL.

MATTERS DISCUSSED BY MA N-AWATU RABBIT BOARD.

The Mnmiwatu Rabbit Board which lias just taken over the control of noxious tweeds in its district discussed matters relative to this subject at its meeting- on Thursday.

The inspector (Mr. I). R. Barron) reported that he had not taken any very serious steps with regard to his new duties. Tie thought that he should wait until the Board had discussed what policy it was going to adopt. Me had not sent out unv statutory notices.

Members were of opinion Hint as the district was in such a bad state with regard to noxious weeds the Board should not take any drastic steps this season hut considered that the inspector should endeavour to concentrate on the eradication of small, isolated clumps of gorse and lupin on the grassy lials. REPORT ON SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS.

Mr. ■]. F. McKelvie reported on the result of the recent spraying (xpcM'imeitts carried out at Camion’s Line and said that young gorse was making its appearance. Mr. Grant, who conducted the experiments, said that it was possible that a second spraying would be necessary although there was always a diffiicult.y in the way of seeds lo be contended willi. These .seeds might possibly be half an inch below the surface of the ground and not effected by the spray. A second spraying when they came through would probably bo efficacious.

Mr. McKelvie endorsed this view and stated that the young gorse that was through the ground at the time of the., spraying was quite dead.

Mr. Grant also considered that gorse should Ibe given .another month yet before it was sprayed to get the. best results. In his opinion it should not be touched before October.

'The inspector said that it was quite easy to see where the spray had missed the gorse as branches were dowering amongst the dead gorse. Mr. McKelvie said that he did not think that it was much good r-praving the standing gorse. It might, die in time but it would be better cut and then the young shoots sprayed. Mi-. Grant said that ten days ago he sprayed- some gorse at Sanson and it was already looking very sick. Possibly they would get; better results now but even so it was too early to say what the permanent value of spraying would be. The whole thing was still in the experimental stage. ANOTHER MENACE. 'fhe chairman (Mr. B. G. Gower) said that on a recent visit to Wanganui Jte had noticed cape \v*eed growing along the roadside near W'angaehu. He had seen thousands of acres covered with this weed in Australia and lie hoped that steps would be taken to check its spread in this district. It had a yellow bower and was sometimes mistaken for and called the dandelion. THE BLACKBERRY DISEASE.

Mr. J. F. McKelvie reported that the disease which had attacked the blackberry on his property was still in evidence and he had received a communication from, the Agricultural. Department in reference to it since last meeting, asking for samples of the affected plant. He had sent a bag full of plants away, lie had noticed however, that while the large vines had the appearance of dry rot and were perfectly dead, shoots were coining up from the roots. Hundreds and hundreds of bushes had been affected on his property and this was the lirst season cutters had been able to get into bis swamps. The chairman, expressed the opinion that spraying- the new shoots might now effectively eradicate the weed.

Mr. Boswell; suggested burning the bush off but Mr McKelvie feared that that might destroy the disease. The bushes we’re attacked by ;i yellow fungus on the back of t lie leaves and not a leaf was left bn the (dumps. He had not tried spreading it by placing some of the infected branches in healthy (dumps.

The chairman said that it would be a Godsend if the disease effectively killed the blackberry. Grubbing was a tremendous undertaking as every little joint left in the ground struck. METHODS OF ERADICATION. Members considered that before any drastic action could be taken with regard to eradicating noxious Weeds in the Board’s district remedies would have to be discovered and it was advisable to wait until the various experiments were completed -before taking any serious steps. There was uo suggestion of compelling the eradication of lupin where it was used as a binding agent. T] UI inspector reported that in the Taikoren district one farmer ’was removing gorse by means of a horse and rope. The rope was hitched to the root-which was then hauled out.

The chairman said that it was absolutely no use cutting gorse. That was only [Hitting oil the evil dav.

The inspector said that on some farms settlers were cutting the corse holding- the belief that if the hushes were left where they were cut they would smother the roots. .Mr. Boswell said that that was s 0 only whore the gorse was very thick. In most cases however, it was useless.

Mr. Grant stated that the Act required persons to “clear” their properties of noxious weeds and

the definition given for the word •‘‘clear” was “to grub.” After further discussion the Hoard decided to leave the matter to the discretion of the inspector for the present season. A. NOTICE OF WARNING. The inspector said that he had recently been reading some literature on sodium chlorate which stated that it was absolutely essential for a person spraying with this mixture to wear gum hoots and to wash any clot lies on which llu* spray settled immediately after use. Smoking in the vicinity of the mixture was strictly forbidden.

Mr. Grant, who has had some experience with sodium chlorate said that it was quite safe as long as usual precautionary measures won: adopled. There was no fear of lire until the mixture had dried on (dot lies. RABBIT BOARD MATTERS.

It was decided to procure ten seven pound tins of phosphorised pollard for poisoning. The inspector was deputed to ma'ike an inspection of Moutoa Road farms together with 'Mr. Grant (Departmental Inspector) in regard to a reported increase in rabbits.