NOXIOUS WEEDS

Shannon News, 11 October 1927, Page 4

NOXIOUS WEEDS

NOT VERY PREVALENT IN THE COUNTY. That the Horowhenua County compares very favourably with other districts in regard to the noxious weeds trouble was acknowledged at the meeting of the Council on Saturday. A letter was received from Mr S. A. R. Mair, County Engineer of Rangitikei, who has been appointed to collect certain information for the Cawthron Institute, asking to be supplied with references on a map showing areas affected by noxious weeds in this county, particularly blackberry, ragwort, gorse, bid-dy-bid, St. John's wort, foxglove, bracken fern, and "Paterson's Carse" (viper's bugloss), and any local weeds" such as hnkea, broom, goat's rue, etc. The Institute has undertaken, in conjunction with the Meat Producers' Board, investigations regarding the eradication of certain weeds, and requires maps showing infested areas throughout the Dominion. The County Chairman (Mr G. A. Monk) said he might be told that he was wrong, but he thought, that this district might be congratulated on having no blocks of noxious weeds. To some extent the swamps were infested with blackberry; but he presumed that the institute had in view blocks like those in Wairoa. The worst weed of his acquaintance in the Horowhenua County, apart from the blackberry, and the ragwort on the Manawatu river-bed, was the foxglove on the hill country, this pest being rather bad in the southera end of the County. Or. Barber stated that goats' rue was a seiious trouble along the Manawatu river.

The chairman stated that they could not point to any. blocks of country of which any particular weed had taken possession.

Or. McLeavoy stated that he had no noxious weeds on his property until he olarted to plough, and then he got Calir'omian thistle; the seed of which must have been in the ground. From weeds on the hills, the seeds blew clown on to the lower-lying farms. Gr. Kilsby said he did not think they had much to complain of in this county. The centre of the North Island was pretty well covered with noxious weeds, and so was a big portion of Otago.

The chairman stated that his farm was at one time over-run with blackberry, but to-day it was practically clear of it,\and he thought the cause of rhe improvement was the stocking of the place. It was decided to reply to Mr Mair stating that there were no blocks of noxious weeds in this County, but that foxglove was making some headway in the hill country to,the south, while there was some blackberry in the swamps and goat's rue along the Manawatu river.