NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 191, 21 January 1915, Page 8

NOXIOUS WEEDS.

WHICH SHOULD BE ERADICATED. The Stratford County Council spent considerable time at its meeting yesterday in discussing the circular letter from the President of the Board of Agriculture (Sir J. G. Wilson) on the question of noxious weeds' eradication. The circular asked the Council for information as to the feeling in the dis1Ct A T'r et , ] ! er H was advisable to have the Act fully enforced, (a) in the whole district, or (b) in any portion of the district. The circular also asked for information as to whether in the CounC 'J ~ opinion, the district should be divided into two classes. Cr Smith thought that the Act should be enforced. It was not fair to the industrious man that a careless man alongside should be allowed to neslect his weeds. .

Cr Baskin did not think that the inspectors had carried out their duties. He knew places which were white with dog-daisy, and he thought that the law should be enforced to the uttermost. Lr W, H. Were considered that the system of inspection was wrong. The inspectors only harassed the farmers, it tliey set their experts to experiment and find out something that would "et rid of the weeds, it would be far more effective. They had been told that the ragwort was a biennial, and would be destroyed if cut, but on the other hand it nourished.

The chairman thought that districts might be classified. Where the weed could be dealt with without penalising the occupier he was in favor of the Act being strenuously enforced Jt would impose very little hardship as far as blackberry and ragwort were concerned, but m many cases, as far as rc-; regarded ox-eye daisy, it would be of no in to , ,°" for . CG »*• On rough ground, it would be impossible to eradicate this but sheep would keep it down. Cr Walter said that apparently the Board of Agriculture, n, body of picked nien did not know how to deal with this difficult question, and a lot of othei people were in the same position. Ho was strongly 0 f opinion that any weed strck °n 5. 01 ' 1 ? not kcop P rofi table stock should be kept down, and he classed blackberry in this category. Ox<p daisy and ragwort could be kept down by sheep. It would be impossible to classify the land. He thought that plenty ofgood top dressing would eradicate daisies, which were a deep-rooted plant and got their nourishment low down, and killed the grasses. If however, the ground was top-dressed, the grass would flourish and kill the daisv Finally, on the motion of tile chair" man seconded by Cr Walter, it that bkrkh ]t b i° rccommen <iation that blackberry should be eradicated witlnn the County of Stratford as' it would impose no hardship on any BPitlei, and that a strong check b P enforced with regard to all other noxious weeds in the schedule. ' |