SHEEP ON RAGWORT.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 301, 15 August 1929, Page 6

SHEEP ON RAGWORT.

HOW TO HANDLE. Inspector’s Duties. The Tokoroa Rabbit Board drew the Matamata County Council’s attention to the prevalence of ragwort at the August meeting, and stated that as there was a suggestion that local bodies be given 'further powers in regard to the administration of the Noxious Weeds Act, the board had decided to instruct its employees to report cases of neglect. The letter suggested the council might adopt a similar practice. The chairman stated that such co-operation was sound because in a season when ragwort was on there was little work with ranbits. Tact would be necessary and the Department of Agriculture had no wish to secure a fine as it would be far better if this money was spent in clearing the weed. He thought the Rabbit Board’s suggestion was an excellent ofae.

Or. Allen stated the matter was considered at the Dominion Farmers’ Conference, the remit coming from Wairarapa. The conference had urged action on similar lines. The chairman stated one of the difficulties with the Department of Agriculture was that the ragwort season came on at the stock inspector’s busiest time. It was not so easy for the council to lend much assistance because they had to give the number of block and section, etc., in each case.

The Department also advised that there was not much hope of securing a conviction against a man with a few plants, as he always asked about his neighbour’s, who had a lot of plants. Cr. Cox thought the local branches of the Farmers’ Union could cooperate very satisfactorily. The chairman instanced a block of bush which was cut down and when sown in grass the area became covered with a living mass of Ragwort. The owner put on sheep and in three or four years it was absolutely clean. The ragwort did not exactly poison sheep, but affected their livers, and made them sluggish, and they were inclined to lie about and get on their backs and die. A man had to be employed to keep the sheep on the move and if they were kept exercised they did all right and killed the ragwort.

On the motion of the chairman, it was debided to reply that the council would be pleased to co-operate with the Rabbit Board in any way and to

recommend that the board’s inspector be appointed assistant inspector of noxious weeds. The chairman also suggested that the other rabbit boards in the district be written to in similar terms, and this was agreed to. Cr. Morriss pointed out that neither suggestion covered the areas in the county where there were no rabbit boards. He thought they should not lose sight of the matter even if they had to put on their own inspector. Members discussed the subject from many angles, the consensus of opinion being that cutting the plant was merely pruning it, and that the only certain method of getting rid of ragwort was to keep sheep on for some years. No further action was taken.