NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 188, 18 January 1915, Page 5

NOXIOUS WEEDS.

A DIFFICULT PROBLEM. A letter was received at last week's meeting of the Tarauaki Farmers'. , Union, from the President of the 'Board of Agriculture (Sir J. G. Wilson 1 stating tlie difficulties in dealing with noxious weeds and asking if the Union was of> opinion, whether it was advisable to have the Act fully enforced: (a.) In t!ra whole district, or (b) in any portion or . the district. ,'■•■.■....< Mr Dunn said the Union Siad bean dealing with this matter for a number; of years, and had passed resolutions that the Act be strictly enforced, but tho questions put by the Board of Agriculture put them in the position of defining where it was judicious to strictly; ■ enforce tho Act and where it was not. Mr Maxwell said this had been d-. lit with as an important' matter by, brandies, executives and Dominion conforences of the Union for year*, bu it had now been taken in hand by thej, proper body—the Board of Agriculture. The subject had been threshed out thoroughly at ifhe Dominion conferences, . ' and also between officers of the Agii-. culture Department and the Union. The difficulty was with the different classes of land. In a case where there was on the one side deep gullies and on tho other sire ploughable land it would b«" | in possible to exterminate weeds in tlfc ordinary way in iilie gullies. It was abr surd for any one to say that the Act 1 could be rigorously enforced.. Where the 1 configuration of the country was such! that weeds could wot be exterminated! by the proceM of cultivation, of the land then., there was another way of doing it —viz., by planting certain classes g& trees, such as pinus insignus. Tjro point was that they should ask the Dei partnient. to enforce the Act where possible, but they should not ask for inw possibilities. ' It could be worked Tift dividing the land into tWq classes, biitl •not by dividing it into two districts. Hei moved t "That the Tarauaki Executive of the Farmers' Union is in favour of tha Act being stringently enforced in cases where the land is capable of cultivation, but be enforced with discretion in' ' cases where the land is of poorer quality. Mid of rough nature where weeds havei secured such a bold that their eradication would be too great an undertaking on the holder. The also recommends that on inferior and rouga 'land, where eradication of weeds, is practically impossible, the owner be're-' quired to plant pines and otiher suitable timbers (such as pinus radiate), or tl.at the State take over the land and plant it." •Mr Pennington seconded the motion. Mr Buekeridge agreed with the suggestion of planting, and quoted instances where it had been beneficial. The point was to devise some means that woulili not be too oppressive on those who were doling their best, jaid also to assist as far as possible in the eradication of weeds. v The motion was carried. It was also resolved 'tfliat the Executive do not think that distrets can Be classified, is : .n many cases the can* farms would contain two classes.