Nassella Tussock

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30632, 24 December 1964, Page 10

Nassella Tussock

Sir, —As one of my acquaintances owns a large sheep run up north, I feel qualified to make a few remarks on the nassella tussock controversy. Here, the board sent a group of young lads creeping around the hills, returning with grand tallies of bushes supposedly grubbed. Perhaps it might be to more avail if the farmer was made more aware of the threat of this weed, instead of this rather childish approach. Let the Government use its money for projects such as eradicating rabbits, keeping the fish in water at Waitaki, ridding Harewood of its bird pests, furthering sheep production, etc. W. F. Silarne, a weed expert of Scratchville, South Carolina, said of a noxious weed troubling the farmers of that area: “Let us not consider the threat of this . . . weed, but rather the responsibility we have to educate the farmer so he will see the threat.”— Yours, etc, K. A. O’C. December 1, 1964. [The chairman of the North Canterbury Nassella Tussock Board (Mr T. G. Maxwell) comments:—“The correspondent is obviously unaware of the tremendous efforts made by the majority of landowners in our area. Government money is being used to subsidise grubbing by gangs, which is of inestimable value in bringing this weed under control.”] •