Tackling The Briar Problem

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30058, 16 February 1963, Page 7

Tackling The Briar Problem

0N the high-country propemy of Mr R. J. Lee in the Cardona Valley in Central Otago land improvement, including topdressing, has Ironically accentuated the sweet briar problem. Runholders attending the fourth field day organised by the high-country sub-section of the Upper Clutha branch of Federated Farmers in conjunction with the farm advisory division of the Department of Agriculture last month visited this property where Mr Lee discussed with them the management of his tussock run. with special emphasis on briar control. Of the property of just on 17,000 acres, 80 per cent, is over 4000 feet, rising to 6300 ft and is mainly summer country. There is only 130 acres of cultivable land. The average rainfall over a 30-year period has been nearly 25in, varying from 16in to 34in. In 1950, 2750 sheep were

carried, with rather more wethers than ewes. With the control of the rabbit about 1950 and the use of the tractor on the small area of flat land, sheep numbers had increased to 3350 in 1954. Any further extension of sheep numbers involved increasing the carrying capacity of the winter country, and in 1954 a programme of oversowing and topdressing was begun. The area oversown and topdressed to date is about 1500 acres to a maximum height of 3000 ft. The stock carried this year number 4400. In 1954 the wool clip amounted to 26,4001 b and last year to 37,5001 b. Up to eight years ago Mr Lee was unable to cull two-tooths, but during the last six years he has been able to cull an average of 10 per cent and for the last three years he lias been putting Down rams to some ewes and producing some hundreds of fat lambs. The present system of management involves feeding ewee on hay in July, on autumn-saved tussock country in August and on the paddocks in the early spring. It is only the programme of topdressing which has enabled him to grow enough feed to follow this practice. But this programme of improvement has given Mr Lee a headache with sweet briar. New Problem With the control of the rabbit, sweet briar increased on his property as on so many others. Then in 1954 he had put on 30 tons of superphosphate with his oversowing. He followed the advice of most authorities at that time to spell the area so as to give the oversowing full opportunity to become established. By the end of 1955 he had good establishment of clovers but he also had an excellent establishment of briar. Young briar were showing up in great numbers on much of the best winter country and it appeared as if he might be out of production in 10-15 yeans. He felt he had only two alternatives—to get out, or to get “stuck in." He decided to follow the second course.

In January, 1956, which was exceptionally dry, he got in a bulldozer to push out the bigger bushes and pull the more difficult ones with a wire rope. His biggest bush was 16ft high, 93ft in circumference, and covered 70 square yards. Smaller bushes were pulled by tractor or horse and most of the others were grubbed or bormoned. He has carried on an annual programme since then, spending from £5OO to £6OO a year on labour with mixed results.

Me Lee said that his advice today would be to bulldoze the big budhes from August to October and follow up within two to three months with hormone on the regrowth. Smaller bushes should be pulled with a small tractor, a wire rope and crowbar. For the smallest bushes, grubbing in January and February seamed

to be the cheapest. Even with this method there can be 10 per cent, of regrowth. He was carrying out further trials with the latest hormones, including T 6, using different strengths and different seasons of application.

Asked how much a farmer should spend on briar control Mr Lee said that he should be prepared to spend between. Is to 2s a sheep. In the last four years he himself had been spending more than 2s a sheep. He considered that the most important block for initial control work was the hogget block. Landlord Mr Lee considered that throughout New Zealand briar had reached such a stage on the run country that the landlord should begin to take an interest. The landlord had supervised these areas for the last 100 years and had transferred and renewed leases of land in bad condition. It was now beyond the occupiers to do the job alone. He considered that briar control was a case where good husbandry should be rewarded by the landlord, but he did not know one case in Otago where any reward had been given. Asked for his views on the hope for improved pasture keeping briar down, Mr Lee said he was sorry to have to say he did not consider this was the answer. Going over a topdressed block recently for the fourth time they found one briar plant a square yard. He added that both quail and deer were important agents in the spread of the seed and he was now finding briar infesting warm, sweet faces up to 4000 feet.