WAR ON NOXIOUS WEEDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 66, 9 June 1927, Page 7

WAR ON NOXIOUS WEEDS

AUSTRALIAN CO-OPERATION (From Our Resident Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The Australian National Research Council has sent Mr. J. W. Evans across to New Zealand for two years to work with Dr. R. J. Tilyard, at the Cawthron Institute, in research work into the control of noxious weeds. This is expected not only to bear fruit in the Commonwealth, but also to facilitate the solution of the noxious weeds problem here. Mr. Evans arrived by the Marama to-day, and will cross to Nelson tomorrow night. Discussing his position, Mr. Evans said that although he would study entomology generally, he had great hopes of fruitful results in the fight against the. prickly pear, the greatest noxious-weed pest Australia possessed. There are now 30,000,000 acres under the ravages of this plant, and this area was growing at the rat© of 1,000,000 acres annually. During the past five years experiments have been made with natural-enemy insects, and it was anticipated that the spread of the prickly pear would soon be checked, and the plant finally reduced, and eliminated. This work is costing the Commonwealth £12,000 annually, but, if successful, the expenditure would be well repaid. Mr. Evans added that although people at first scoffed at the idea of the natural-enemy method of elimination. results proved that it would be a great thing in the future. Results occupied time to achieve, but were effectual when the work was accomplished. Mr. Evans is the first to come to New Zealand under the research endowment scheme provided by the Commonwealth Government for research. Dr. Tilyard, he says, is regarded iu the Commorwealth as the greatest authority known on the prickly pear, - ,