FARM NOTES

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 314, 14 November 1929, Page 6

FARM NOTES

MENACE OF RAGWORT. t' INCREASE IN DISTRICT. Methods of ControL The important question of ragwort control was again discussed by the Matamata County Council on Friday, following the reading of a letter from the Minister of Agriculture on the subjeot. The Minister stated that since assuming office he had given the question serious thought, and it was obvious that without the hearty cooperation of the farming community little could be done in the matter of eradicating weeds, and it appeared that the establishment of local control in some form offered the best outlook, but it raised the important question of finance. Departmental officers were doing all they could to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Act, but they had to be careful to avoid any action which might create an impossible position financially for farmers concerned.

The manner in which local control could be best effected required careful consideration, but the Minister pointed out that county councils already had powers of control and could in themselves perform the functions of noxious weeds boards either directly or through special counties.

A chorus of remarks made it clear that members realised that the letter was not a reply to the suggestion submitted to the Minister. The clerk remarked that the main thing was. finance, which a board could supply and a county council could not. The chairman explained that it was the wrong time of the year to approach a Minister, as he had not time to think such matters out during a session. The engineer gave it as his view that ragwort was going to be very much worse this year. He had been making inquiries w'ith a view to finding out the best means of poisoning the. plants. Cr. Allen said he believed that sulphate of iron and salt was giving good results. The chairman said he had been told that salt alone had been used •very successfully.

The Engineer : Yes, Messrs. Harrison and Rose have proved it. Cr. Nickle said sulphuric acid had proved satisfactory where there were few plants. Cr. Dee said he had tried salt, but plants were now as thick as ever. The Chairman : But not the same plants. The engineer said a lot depended on the luck of the weather. If it rained heavily just afterwards the salt was washed off and became a manure instead of a poison. Cr. Morriss said he had killed ragwort with two applications of sulphate of iron. It did away with jphipping and went twice as far as salt. The Chairman : The trouble is that it- is not suitable for dealing with acres of ragwort. Cr. Morriss explained that his patch was so thick that he Could not put his foot down without stepping on ragwort, and now the grass was very thick and high. The second application of sulphate should he put on about three months after the first. Cr. Dee said he had been told that the oil from the crank case of a car Icilled the weed.

The chairman said the worst areas in the county were at Lichfield and the back of Waiomo. Cr. Moir said no area could be worse than a property which an Auckland body had a mortgage over. The chairman further remarked that so far as odd plants were concerned if they were pulled out when in good flower, and just before they smarted to blow, the plants came out easily, and as all the nourishment was in the flower the roots died. A farmei had to keep at it about onee a week or at most once a fortnight. If the plant was pulled when green the roots broke off and all the broken parts grew. The matter then dropped and no further action was taken.

DISCUSSION AT MORRINSVILLE. By Farmers’ Union. “ Ragwort is everywhere, and is getting a great hold in this district ; farmers are at a loss what action to take to control or eradicate it,” declared Mr. G. Pifrit, president of the Morrinsville branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, at Saturday evening’s meeting. Mr. F. Seifert : That is the question.- What are the best means of dealing with it? The President : Some say plough it in—others, do not plough it, but use sheep. Mr. J. E. Leeson : Where there are isolated plants the best method is to pull them out. Mr. J. M. Allen said he had found cutting the foliage and putting a handful of salt cn the plants killed them. He intended pulling out plants this year and putting salt in the holes.

The President : It is all right to say ‘‘ put sheep on,” but sheep will not eat ragwort unless they are starving.

Mr. Maisey : My experience is that when you pull out the plant that is the end of it. , The President : That is not mine. If you pull the'plants when in flower it is all right. I have been told this is.because the plant is an annual.

Mr. Allen said he could not believe that. The plants appeared to grow from the roots again. He had noticed particularly a small plot on his property which he had pulled up before the plants seeded. They were there again the next year just the same. The president said that if the plants were chipped off and seeding was prevented the plants would grow again from the roots. Mr. A. Topham suggested writing to Massey College for advice as to the best method to adopt. Mr. Allen : Whatever we do we are bound to get more ragwort, as it is on the hills all round us. The seed flies for miles, comes down the rivers and is carried in other ways. The farmers can do no more than they are doing.

The president said that from Te Kuiti to Tauranga it was just a yellow strip when the ragwort was in flower.

Mr. Barrowclough said that when he first came to the district there were only a few isolated patches. Each year the patches were getting larger and more numerous. On practically every farm a few plants were to be seen seeding. Where the weed was particularly bad it was often too expensive for a farmer to keep the growth down. The inspectors should “ tighten up ” on those properties where there were only a few plants, to prevent them getting ( Continued at Foot of Next Column)

worse. On his property he had pulled out certain patches, and a further crop of plants rose up from the roots. Mr. P. S. Philpott said the best method in his experience was to go over the paddocks with a sack, cut the tops off the plants and bum them. '