Farm Notes

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43311, 9 April 1908, Page 1

Farm Notes

xzc

• ;•'■■ *• ’A NEW DISCOV ERpf ■ ;fu: : A NEW discovery '■ portance to New Zealand has been mtfdo by Mi Nl J. HancbckTof Invercargill, for the destruction, of, b noxious weeds. .»He saysj . v jK • “ Some time ago I had occasion to ,carryout a number ofexperiment# r in order to ascertain If were , possible to stimulate the growth of plants under electric and it was while engaged on these nxysri*: ments that I accidentally discovered that, by varying the method em* . ployed, it proved fatal to plant life. ‘/ ' “It occurred tome thit this woujdj be m ideal method; for the of noxious weeds, and, with this object in view, I continued thie ; experiments, with"astonishing results. ! ; Not only does it' destroy the ‘gtbwing blit also destroys the germinating power of any seed that may be ih ' the soil at the time of treatment, together with all insect ; life,- , The soil is practically Returned : td fyjsvirgin 'State,' and as no injurious chemicals 4 are added to it, it is fit for cultivation immediately after treat* .^nent;*j> “ The process is one of electrocution,;pure and simple, and although the apparatus at present employed'is somewhat complicated, I hop* shortly to be able to reduce it to a somewhat simpler ‘ form. Jffhe apparatus will probably be f«ady Jot the market by next season. The cost of treatment, with improved apparatus, will, not exceed 51 per, Tacre, and one man with a horse aid the necessary appliances will be able to treat 20 acres in a day."