GRUBBING OF NASSELLA

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29270, 30 July 1960, Page 8

GRUBBING OF NASSELLA

. Spraying Dearer In controlling' light infestations of nassella couid not light spraying with chemicals replace the grubbing gangs? This question was asked at a field day at Waiau held by the North Canterbury Nassella Tussock Board. The questioner drew attention to the heavy cost of grubbing gang wages and expenses in the board’s programme, and the difficulty it was experiencing in getting suitable labour. Mr W. L. Kay, the board’s chief inspector, said that on a 260 acre block grubbed recently after it had been successfully “kill” sprayed the previous season, the cost of grubbing had worked out at between £2 and £2 10s an acre compared with a seedling control spraying which would cost £l2 10s an acre. Mr W. F. Leonard, weeds research officer of the Department of Agriculture, said that the answer would lie in the economics of each case. If there were only seedlings, it would be too hard to grub and a further spraying would be warranted at a lighter rate of application, but where some old tussock remained, it was obvious that a blanket spray would have to be of the same strength as the original “kill” spray. Spot spraying took about the same time as grubbing but the cost of the chemicals ipade it dearer. On the question of the rate of re-infestation after grubbing or spraying, he said that there was no evidence yet from trial work that the board should switch from grubbing. In either case, the work had to be done annually and neither grubbing nor spraying had a longer lasting benefit.

Duscussing the staffing of the gangs, the secretary-manager (Mr F. 3. Foley) said that with six or seven gangs over nine months last year the turnover of staff was 200 men. Up to nine men could come in to his office to be paid off in a single day. Grubbing costs to the farmer were subsidised by the board bv more than 50 per cent., he said. The farmer was charged 5s an hour for actual grubbing, while the cost to the board in vehicles loss on accommodation—£37oo last year—and other charges worked out at 12s 2d a man hour, he said.