RAGWORT ERADICATION.

Shannon News, 8 February 1929, Page 3

RAGWORT ERADICATION.

DISCUSSED BY RABBIT BOARD. ■ •?■

Some "nteresting facts concerning , r ', ragwort Avere mentioned dining a di-3- ,': 'c-ussion on noxious weeds at the annu-' , * al meeting of the Manawatu Habbit y" Board on Thursday.. The chairman v ~ (Mr B. G. GoAvcr) said that he noticed !( - a plant growing on his farm, and, 'with". .' his knife lie cut the ground around '• the root of the-ragwort in the form , of a boAvl and placed the Aveed on a. "i fence post. When he AA-as passing the place, some Aveeks later, however, ho. - : noticed that the depression in tho ground where he had removed the rag- -; wort Avas full of yotfavg ragwort plants, -T every sucker left in the ground hav- ■' v ing sprouted and produced a plant. \ Great care had to be exercised in re- '"> moving the Aveed, to see that the root Avas tiken away intact. A good ex-- -> terminator f or. ragAvort, however, was ' to cut the plant off near the ground and to cover the top of the root witli salt.

Trustee W. E. Barber said it had been given to him on -very good auth-, crity that it Avas .only the roots of a yearling ragAvort that would sprout again after the plant had .been pulled - and that if a tAvo-year-old' plant wa3

pulled there was no fear of the suckers left in the ground sprouting. Another method of ridding a paddock of ragwort advanced was to crowd it Avith rheep.