BLACKBERRY PEST.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 20, 16 February 1927, Page 3

BLACKBERRY PEST.

METHOD OF ERADICATION. A specific, for the eradication of the blackberry in New Zealand, for which a reward of £lO,OOO has been ..offered by. the Government, has been discovered, ft, is. claimed, by Mr W. P, Seaton, a.Clevcdon farmer (says the New Zealand Herald). Mr Seaton is thoroughly convinced of the efficacy of his method of dealing with the pest. He has claimed the reward offered for a satisfactory blackberry exterminator. As a practical farmer ,who has tried out his methods successfully on his own holding and who desires to benefit the farming community generally, he has ‘disclosed his method to the general public. ' ' , Briefly, the system of dealing with the pest by Mr Seaton is to cut back and fertilise -the blackberry plants, giving them a good top-dressing of 'manure to force a succulent growth. The ordinary farm stock, supplemented with a few goats, if possible, are then .turned on to the paddocks in which ’the blackberry patches exist. In a remarkably short period the plants will be eaten out and killed. The roots will wither and dry up and the blackberry 'will be supplanted by a good growth of pasture. Convincing proof of the success of f this method is afforded by the state of Mr Seaton’s dairy farm. When he ‘ took it over three years ago it was badly infested with blackberry, and ' its carrying capacity was very small. To-day the property is clean and is carrying a cow to the acre, with a surplus of feed in every paddock. This result has been achieved by top-dress-ing 1 and stocking with cows, a few , sheep and one goat. On another property of 400 acres being worked by Mr Seaton a few miles ' from Clcvcdon, equally satisfactory results have been achieved. The contour of the blocks is fairly rough and blackberry existed extensively in places. Similar methods for dealing with the ‘ the post wore adopted on this block, although a larger number of goats was used. An inspection of the property; during the week-end revealed that on the top-dressed areas the blackberry had boon killed and had been supplanted by good pasture. The only traces of the pest discovered were a few withered twigs on tried-up bulbs that will certainly not strike again.