BLACKBERRY AND RAGWORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1919, Page 7

BLACKBERRY AND RAGWORT.

To tho Editor. Sir,—The progress of tho weeds mentioned In Taranakl Is a matter of anxiety to hundreds of farmers and, as Is fairly well known, I hold strong opinions regarding the necessity of putting a check on their spread. Knowing the danger to new land and also knowing the efforts being made by settlers on such land to keep the weeds In check, I can safely affirm that unless something drastic Is undertaken that Increased production, which wo are told Is essential to the Dominion, will not increase as it should do In many parts of Taranakl. The legitimate farmer shovrs much anxiety as to tho carelessness of others, and also the lax method of the powers that be in dealing with the trouble. Quite recently I Wed to got the Moa Road Board to adopt drastic proposals, which, if approved and adopted by the Government, would have given local bodies power to shake up the careless Individual because tile method proposed would not allow of the present excuses used for non-compliance with the Act. which, us it stands, shows too many avenues of escape. Pining a man 5s and costs for allowing his weeds to seed and thereby sow his neighbors land Is rather encouraging tho spread of weeds than otherwise. The fact that tho authorities listened to the requests not to enforce tho law regarding' noxious weeds during the war has created a tremendous leeway to be recovered In the near future, nnd that truth will be made more palpable directly. Now, Sir, I do not wish the impression to go abroad that the Inglewood district is any worse regarding the weeds mentioned than any other part of :he province, but there are areas in it that have been neglected for years, nnd the efforts of the struggling small farmer are nullified by these sections being left In the condition mentioned. They prevent the weeds on their own land from going to seed; they plough and stump and clean paddocks In order to control the customer; and yet year by year they find new seedlings In such paddocks as were never known to have had a single plant; they find on posts, stumps and logs the droppings of birds (all blackberry seeds), In the forks of standing trees the weed has been found, and as there Is a considerable amount of new land'ln the uplands there is no wonder that anxiety is shown regarding the carelessness of the Government, local bodies, and certain sections of the pepoie. In all parts of the district sections that should bo producing milk are hold for grazing purposes by absentees, and one of tho methods to be adopted by the Government, If It Is sincere in wishing to assist production, should be a review of the laws relating to aggregation, together with a drastic alteration of tho present Noxious Weeds Act. It's no use treating the matter In a lukewarm or haphazard way. Gloves must come off, and if a man has too many more sections or land than ho can conveniently keep clean then he will have to be forced to get rid of it. I have been told that w i.'i P r °P°sed would shunt many farmers (») oft their holdings. Well, I know of many who became scared at the evident spread of tho weeus, and have sold out, and men who were sorry to do so, and there are hundreds who are anxiously looking forward to tho time when a quick move will he made with regard to checking tho weed; otherwise thev will follow the lead mentioned. Jf a man is too poor to employ labor to clean his land that is no reason why dozens should be beggared Some means should be devised of assisting such men Being a struggler on the new land myself i know personally the efforts made by others to keep their land clean, yet hotbeds are allowed to exist under the present law, which I was assured is drastic enough for anyone. Let's hope it Is a „d let us get it on the jig so as to see but I have my doubts I Prom various r./„ ln *ice3 me to continue with the agltaI ?,„IS W^ lne the wmls «™J"alned of, and for' ™Ai. < , , ymT „ noluran3 will bo available such „ J" f »™*«»» as will tend to keep such In swing until a proper move Is mart* whereby the legitimate farraer ta ° p ote™ ed n.l? ™.»„ llI[ ? '° " sk 1" t(mm, > tested In lni aTf„J, t0 con " minl ™to with mo by supplvwal in fh?«M eSS <I7- for ? «'"Wehenslve appeal to tho authorities, and thev can rest assured hat no effort will bo spared "n my account in order to bring about T real ding dong tt.T»eV!S P this ,< !i3t ™ t *«l"* entitled to u e name it already bears ouside. I am afraid ohe? w?, °" loCal , bodies ' an d PromtaeW in other ways, men who" are afraid to deal wit tho question as It should be, peril ps from ulterior motives. Certain It Is thatM F''sare ■ That , Sf,T ß r b > n n stl n°" •!*' move" wf'.! 13e , of '[ 1>e Soos not Effect myself, as havlng'tne opinion'that the TinWe namta looking to and .recccnlsjng the spS of ?l,e weeds are a hnnUlcnjkf&the Present aid wbch ffer 6 on'T , ",?"% ,0 „?"' th « *™ <*

Durham Koad,M S ' y 4. 1910 E ' B ' SIMPSON -