GRASS GRUB MENACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21245, 27 July 1932, Page 13

GRASS GRUB MENACE

TREATMENT BY ROLLING QUESTION OF STATE AID DISAPPOINTMENT OF FARMERS [rnOM OUR OWN correspondent] TE AROHA, Tuesday As suggested by the Department of Agriculture, farmers in the area at Manawaru affected by grass grub are concentrating on rolling their farms with specially constructed rollers of considerable proportions. Several of these rollers are the joint property of a group of fanners who assist ono another in this work. The results arc fairly satisfactory. The rolling consolidates the crust of the soil, which the grub leaves in a fine, pulverised state, and gives what grass there is a chance to grip the soil and come away. Primarily, the roller was suggested as a method of crushing the grub, but this has proved only partially successful, as investigation has proved that, while it destroys the grubs near the surface, the majority a few inches beneath are apparently unharmed. Rolled paddocks certainly have a better appearance than the untouched land. The work of rolling an entire farm, however, is a big undertaking, and farmers who have already been heavily handicapped by the ravages of the grub are having a hard battle to carry on. Another method is to overstock a paddock heavily and crush the grub in that way. This method, however, entails the feeding of the animals with hay or ensilage for an indefinite period, as the grass yield of an infected paddock is practially nil. Should an effective method of dealing with the menace be discovered, it will take quit* two years for the pastures to be re-established. When the attention of the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. C. E. Macmillan, was directed to the grass grub area, he paid a visit to the district and promised those who were in the heart of the area sufficient Government allowance to purchase hay for feeding the stock. He also suggested a term of five years in which farmers might make repayments. This arrangement was welcomed, but when application forms were sent, out it appeared that all money borrowed must be paid off within a period of 10 months. This has disheartened many farmers who, knowing the impossibility of meeting the loan within so short a period, have not taken advantage of the offer. The vital need at present seems to be l for manure and grass seed to make a further effort to re-establish the pastures, hundreds of acres of which have been swept bare by the grub. It is the general belief that if assistance could be granted in this direction the land could be rolled immediately after sowing and this would give the seed a reasonably firm surface in which to strike. The area affected, although it shows little or no indication 6f spreading, is still nevertheless a great menace to surrounding land. Reports show that the grub is to be found in small numbers in Hungahunga and the outlying land at To Arolia West and Gordon. It has been suggested that large quantities of turkeys bo introduced during the season when the grub takes on the beetle stage and crawls to the surface.