NOXIOUS WEEDS

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24742, 6 December 1945, Page 6

NOXIOUS WEEDS

INCLUSION IN WHEAT SEED LOWERING OF QUALITY ALLEGED

"Something should? 1 be done by the Department of Agriculture to raise the standard of seed certification. When weed seed is included in wheat seed sold to farmers for sowing, it wants going into," said Mr A. H. Spratt, New Zealand president of the Grain and Seed Merchants' Association, at a meeting yesterday of the North Canterbury Primary Production Council. "If we don't keep the quality up we'll lose overseas trade, which is held, against 12,000 miles and high production costs, by quality," Mr Spratt said.

"r Spratt's remarks were made after ai. ..ddress to the meeting by Mr R Mc. illivray, a member of the speciai committee set up to deal with the handling of noxious weeds, on the dangers and growth of noxious weeds in New Zealand.

The farmers" demand for the return of offals, Mr Spratt said, should be stopped. They said "it would do to throw out on river beds." But, Mr Spratt continued, of an amount of 1001b thrown out, about 301b would consist of weed seed. There should be a law to stop it. Catchfly- and shepherd's purse were bad in white clover this year, and were hard to dress out.. "How are we to hold our English markets with 90 to 95 per cent, purity, when 98 per cent, is wanted?" Mr Spratt said. Old, done paddocks should be taken 'out. In his address Mr McGillivray said that reports on noxious weeds had been furnished to the Government, and a conference had been held from which the committee of which he was a member had arisen. The committee was charged with investigating methods of controlling weed growths and investigating a possible overhaul in the NoxioujS Weeds Act. A lot of thought had been given the problems by the committee, he said. In America and in Europe, greater and more farreaching investigations in weed control were being carried out than ever before. One of the matters the committee had been considering was biological control of weeds. Gorse weevil, to be effective, required a very ■wide distribution. The necessity for control was great, he said. He knew of two or three farms in the Waimate district where the growth of weeds had caused the giving up of cropping. Some cjieap wheat mixtures, containing weeds, had been sold for sowing, he said. He had seen one lot in Wellington that contained 36 different varieties of weed seed, including ragwort. ■.....«*. &

Reference to»pennisetum was also made by Mr McGillivray. It' was he said, a weed from South'.Africa that had been introduced. in the: Kaikoura district. It riow' covered many acres of land and was spreading rapidly. It was a serious matter;

~I 2 ! ■\ h . e discussion which followed ■Mr McGillivray's address, Mr C G Jarman said that wheatgrowing. in the Darfield district was almost done. He himself had grown a lot of wheat but would have to give it up. __ In answer to a question by Mr Spratt, Mr McGillivray said he agreed that-greater cultivation would help in the eradication of weeds. .After refeience had been made to \ S ie^an^ er of nassella tussoch. Mr A. R. Turnbull said he thought St John'j wort was wor.se than riassella. It could be seen all the way from Dunedin to Blenheim.

Mr McGMivary:l agree it is very serious and that it is spreading at an amazing rate. The parasite to combat it is obtainable from the Cawthron Institute. Again, however a widespread distribution of the parasite is required.. Mr R. p. Condell, Fields Superintendent for the Department of Agriculture: Nassella is very serious in some parts of New Zealand. At the same time 1 am prepared to say that fat. Johns wort has already occupied more ground in North Canterbury than nassella. tussock seems, likelv: to occupy. " . v::i:~; .:■"::.;■