ERADICATION OF FERN.

Otaki Mail, 12 September 1923, Page 4

ERADICATION OF FERN.

i wliut be describes as proniisU-ig t be an iniporKJnt discoveiy lias recent j iv been made in me North, in co,. ilection with the eradication- 01 tern by Mr G. J£. Alderion, why bus jus u-liiriled lrom the north. He slate i.Jku witii the advent ol the uaiiwa mid cheaper manure, several settled started to topdress their lands wn manure, iind a Jew top-ilros.scd tlicu tern land, throwing the manure rig I ! over tile fern, so that it would b washed into the soil and bring up th grass through tiie fern. Tiie resu 1 was somewhat surprising, in a fe\ weeks it was found that the cattle an j .-peep attacked tie; fern, and. nibble I h rigid down close to the groom I This Was not a singular case, but ha I happened wherever too fern has bee i top-dressed. Apparently tiie maim; j ,in the fern has a sweetening or "bin i tiring’' effect, and makes the fer. ! readily edible. t it if necessary to state, adds M Ahlerton that tiie stock Ims uot hoc ; n usiieit Ml, to die iern land an forced to cat it, but the results uc. rritied ibWr iieen obtained on rie vulcanic pasture land, with patciie •d jiuii surrounded by good i-Ugn g.itiss. I lie iern.. is net merely ms Hod, but is eaten "down to within lew "inches of tin- ground, and in on c.tse entirely by sheep, it is too can t to give un opinion u» to what th | result wiij he on the stock feeding i, • tiiis WaV, hilt, there; is no question a j m the smok attacking the bun wnci ; p-divssed with manure. The man I ure used in one case was the ordm . ary top-dressing mixture supplied _ j a freezing company, and in the otho | basic slag was used, Further expert ! incuts will j.rovc what is tin; best inn j mire to use Hr tin. 1 purpose, ami th : most- economic;!! method o; uppiyim j Mr Alderion says be consider.- tbi I discovery will have a very importa.n heating.” because during the bust lev years, through under-stocking _ nu< the increase of dairying, a good •-‘.; or bind ha* gone, back into fern. Top dressing certainly revolutionised, tin Waikato, and he think? it may have a twofold effect in the north of erad i; a*ino feiit as well as mtinuring tie ! cTounti. T he- results r (erred to art ,1 :■, lu- teen in 'lie Okaihau district ; ]; ,v oi lsiends, particularly on Mr F ! vj v,o: 1 - farm. Several settlers are i r-rtrrviriff on further experiment' 1 it; that district.—New Zealand Herald