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Clutha Leader, Volume XXXV, Issue 2140, 31 July 1908, Page 2

A correspondent wrote to ine some time ago (says a Northern writer) in reference to King island meiilot, enclosing a clipping to show that it is a weed, and should bo kept out oi pastures. Judging by, a letter which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald lately the plant has proved of value in. some parts of Australia. The letter in the Herald was inserted by Mr M. Guntripp, uud was as follows:—"While on a visit to Mew Zealand at iChristmas there was a little mild excitement among stockowners about a new fodder plant, locally known as King Island clover. The legend attached to the plant was Lo the ell'ect that the seed was washed ashore at King island from the wreck of the Swedish barque; that the plant had spread over the island, and what had before been a howling waste was at the present time fattening thousands of cattle. On returning home, I saw a paragraph in your 'On tlie Land' column dealing with a plant named meiilot. Would you kindly inform mo if my surmise was correct —viz., that meiilot and the so-called King Island clover are one and the same?" in replying to Mr Guutripp, the editor said: —"In all probability the two things are identical. King .Island clover, or meiilot, has no doubt done wonders in improving the pastures of the island, and has won a name for itself in Tasmania. In is'ew South Wales, however, jit has proved itself a weed owing to its spread and the difficulty of eradicating it when once it has become established. In the colder climates of Tasmania, King Island, and the southern coast of Victoria it has not proved so prolific as under New South Wales skies. It has not spread there, nor has it ousted other descriptions of fodder (which nre of more value and less troublesome to deal with." Judging by the above answer the plant would be suitable for sandy waste in New Zealand, with the climate it possesses. In New South Wales, however, the climate is favourable to the . rapid spread of the plant, and the Department of Agriculture has advised its eradication in that State.