The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1924. THE NOXIOUS WEEDS PROBLEM.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 December 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1924. THE NOXIOUS WEEDS PROBLEM.

Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock la Hawera Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatun*, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurley ville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere, Fraser Road, and Ararata.

The seriousness of the noxious weeds problem with which farmers in the back country are faced was again made clear by Councillor McWilliam at Saturday’s meeting of the, Eltham County Council, when the matter was discussed and a motion passed asking the Minister of Agriculture to discriminate in the application of the Noxious Weeds Act. The motion stated that “it is now impossible for occupiers to cope by hand with the growth of such weeds as foxglove, wing thistle and Californian thistle, which appear on the third schedule, and which have inundated the rough sheep country.” Such a statement should arrest the attention of everyone interested in the Dominion’s producing industries, for if one travels through the North Island one see in the aggregate thousands of acres of land growing practically nothing but noxious weeds, and year by year the problem is becoming more difficult. Councillor Knuckey said “personally he was frightened to plough up pasture, and preferred to bring the grass back by liberal applications of manure.” We have heard other farmers in South Taranaki say the same thing, for it has been found that, after ploughing and sowing, certain noxious weeds make their appearance and considerable difficulty in eradicating them is experienced. Fortunately the farms on the good country in South Taranaki are fairly free of noxious weeds, but not many miles away in the hilly districts the pest is. as stated by Councillor MeWilliam. A substantial bonus is offered for the discovery of a means .of destroying blackberry,' and it will be money well spent if a rapid and satisfactory process is found, but there will still remain the problem of overcoming numerous other noxious weeds that are almost as, bad as blackberry in their destructiveness. The loss to the country due to the extensive'areas of land infested with noxious weeds must be enormous each year, and it seeins to us that, though a great campaign against the pests would cost a very large sum of money and would probably have to be continued for a long time, it would ultimately prove a payable move. It is a national problem, and those who are studying the question, must realise that it will have to be tackled, on a large scale before any appreciable improvement can be expected. The Forestry Department is doing good work in planting trees which will ultimately starve out the weeds in certain areas, and it is. encouraging to find that the Department is extending its activities, but the major problem still remains unsolved, and in some districts the outlook for the back country farmer is becoming worse each year. New Zealand, with its growing population and the important position which it occupies as a primary .producing country, cannot afford to. have thousands of acres of land out of production. The weed infested areas have been a constant source of worry to farmers struggling to work their land, and it says a. great deal for their determination and tenacity of purpose, that many more have not given up in despair. By bringing the matter before the Minister once more the Eltham County Council is acting in the country’s interests, but we should like to see the matter taken further and a movement by local bodies, the farmers, and the Government inaugurated for the purpose of launching a definite campaign to defeat the menace, which has developed so rapidly during recent years, and which it is most difficult, if not impossible, to control and prevent from becoming even more serious unless more effective methods are found.