The Californian Thistle.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1735, 16 June 1886, Page 4

The Californian Thistle.

The following letter baa been re?, fermiryAgi'icuHui'rtl and Pastoral A*«K>ciation, m reply to some enquiries be has bean m ikinst of late vith rogard to the well knovn and much, dreaded California n thistle,' which is now causing so much trouble to the farnjerß of Tasmania. The Writer is n farmer of long experience m the Ashburton County. " Deor Sii 1 , — Herewith under another cover, I :end to you a specimen plant of what I suppose to, be the mnehrdreaded Californian thistle. The octopus tentacle appearance of its roots is Vtjry suggf«tive. From my experience of the vitality and iiltsolntely monoDolising power of this thistle I have the. greatest possible Rppivhensions of what a scourge it may beoome to the New Zealand furDin 1 . The rabbit scourge is as nothing to it, for the effeot of it will be to reduce the value of land now worth &20 per acre to 20s. The Lpgislature should he induced to deal with the matter at once during the present Session. The only way m whioh it could be effectively met would be to give power to local bodies to enforce the absolute destruction of the plant wherever it is found. With this view J would suggest that a resolution should be passed by the Agricultural and Pastoral Association requesting the Government to take the necessary action. I have only a few patches, and I had them dug over with the spade this past summer., and although it was a summer that few plants could live m after the soil bid been stirred about them and thoir leaves removed, the»e thistles inly increased tenfold. lam now covering thorn with rotten straw m inch a manner as would smother any ►liter known plant. I suspeot that be seed has been introduced with tho lOieriean red clover or Timothy Bed." ;