The Noxious Weeds Bill

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 201, 8 August 1928, Page 8

The Noxious Weeds Bill

Points of Interest to Farmers

Gorse and the Taupo Plains

/By

“SUNDOWNER”

(Written for the “Tribune”— All Rights Reserved)

In reading through the Noxious Weeds Bill which is before the House this session one is struck with the seeming unfairness of the clause which makes an occupier of land responsible for the eradication of noxious weeds which may grow on the roadside adjoining his boundary. If he has five miles of his property facing the road he is responsible for the clearing of some thirteen or more acres of Crown land which may be an extremely heavy burden if he is situated in a blackberry, sweetbriar or Californian thistle area. Should he eradicate the weeds on this roadside and it thereafter grows good grass which might be threshed for seed, this is not his, but belongs to the Government or Cotinty Council who claims the road and grass but not the weeds.

GORSE Gorse, otherwise known as “furze” or “whin,” was once extensively planted in England as sheep and cattle fodder, both cattle and sheep, and even horses, being very fond of it and fattening on it. In this Dominion it is usually looked on as a beastly nuisance, if not a noxious weed, but in some districts, in the South Island particularly, where it does not spread very rapidly, it is welcomed on wide shingly riverbeds -where it helps to bind the shingle and provides good sheep feed at some seasons of the year. In Otago it was largely planted in the old days to form fences, and has not shown

any great tendency to spread except where very neglected, the sheep keeping any young bushes well trimmed back, PROVISION FOR GORSE IN PRESENT BILL In the present “Noxious Weeds Bill” being considered by Parliament it would appear that there is provision for sowing gorse-seed for forage or fodder if permission to do so in writing is secured from the local authority, and the idea of sowing it on some of our poorest areas—such as on parts of the Taupo Plains—might be well worth consideration.

Between Taupo township and Runanga several patches of gorse can be seen on the roadside which have been there for years, and provide much more fodder than does any other species of vegetation growing on that area at present. GORSE AS A FODDER In an old work on agriculture, called “Baxter’s Library of Agricultural and Horticultural Knowledge,” published in 1934, I find gorse, called here “Furze,” described in glowing terms as a fodder. The writer says: “The forze is a well-known indiginous shrub, growing abundantly on light soil, and elevated situations; scarcely any plant is more brilliant when in blossom, at the same time it exhales a very delightful odour. When Linnaeus, the great naturalist, first beheld this plant in blossom in this country (England), he is said to have fallen upon his knees and offered up a prayer of thanksgiving to the Great Author of Nature.” A good many farmers since then have blessed gorse, but not in quite the same manner as did this Linnaeus, but nevertheless it is quite a useful shrub in its own place—that is on very poor upland soil—and any enterprising man who took up and sowed a large area of the otherwise almost useless Taupo

plains with it might conceivably reap a fortune by grazing it with hardy sheep. WHAT OLD AUTHORITIES SAY The same authority whom I have previously quoted, in referring to planting or sowing gorse for sheep feed says:—“For sheep, who take to this food very kindly when they have once been accustomed to it, less nicety than for cattle fodder is required in sowing, for, if the seeds be simply sown broadcast very thin (about lib. of seed per acre) upon the poorest soils, after they come up, the sheep of themselves will crop the plants, and soon bring them into round close bushes, as this animal nibbles off the prickles one by one, very quickly, so as not to be hurt by them; sheep, however, that have not been used to this mode of browsing do not know how to proceed, and often will not taste them; but a few that have been used to the food will soon teach all the rest how to use it.”

Another agricultural writer of the time, Dr. Anderson, says “Cattle eat it perfectly well when thoroughly bruised, and grow as fat upon it as upon turnips; but unless it be very well bruised for them, they will not eat it freely. It is said that furze contains salt, which is the reason why horses and cattle fed on it soon get a clear skin.” NOT RECOMMENDED BY “SUNDOWNER.’ 1 Tn quoting these old writers do not imagine that I am advocating

the growing of gorse on any land that will grow anything else, or on situations from which it might spread to good land. I have too painful memories of strenuous days with slasher and grubber and an impenetrable mass of gorse before me, to do anything so reckless, but on the Taupo plains I should think it would have advantages over Manuka and Manowan scrub as a stock fodder. MUST NOT SOW “UNDRESSED” SEED. There are one of two things in this Bill we are referring to that appear rather confusing to a lay mind like mine, but then I suppose that is as it should be, or there would be no work for our lawyers. For instance one clause says: “Every person commits an offence who knowingly sows, sells, or offers for sale any grass-seed, or other seed or grain, which has not been thoroughly dressed by means of a seed-cleaning machine or other sufficient process for the purpose of removing all noxious seeds.” Then it goes on to say that “Provided that in any legal proceedings under this section for knowingly selling or offering for sale it shall be sufficient defence if the defendant satisfies the Court that the person to whom he sold the seed or grain, or offered the same for sale, knew the same had not been dressed.” But what I can’t understand is what the chappie who buys the undressed seed is going to do with it unless he gets it “dressed” for he is not allowed to sow undressed seed, even apparently when he gathers and threshes it himself. BACK COUNTRY AND “SECONDS’ 1 SEEDS This section of the Act would also seem to put a stop to the practice of sowing cheap ‘seconds’ seed on poor back country. This has been largely done in the past on the theory that any growth, weeds included, was preferable to bare ground which would in any ease not support good grasses, and much of our manuka country in the back ranges has been sown down, following a burn, with “seconds” or “fannings” which produced at least something for the sheep to nibble at and kept the second-growth of manuka under.

TO STOP WEED DISTRIBUTIONS WISE PROVISION

Clause 10, of the Bill makes a wise provision that threshing machines, clover-dressers and chaff cutters must be thoroughly cleaned out before leaving one farm and going to another. It has been suspected that the spread of noxious weeds, particularly Californian thistle and dodder, has been largely aided in the past by the weed seeds from one farm being carried to the next one where work with these threshers is to be done. AN INSPECTOR’S AUTHORITY In section XL, sub-section 11. it wosld appear that an inspector has no authority over “small patches” of blackberry and sweetbrier, for it says: “Every occupier of land on which blackberry or sweetbrier is growing, otherwise than in small patches, shall clear so much thereof as is required by an inspector etc. etc.” Perhaps this is to Put a damper on the enthusiasm of those inspectors who go about on their hands and knees looking for something to worry the farmer with. If so, the same curtailment of powers might with success be applied to rabbit inspectors alsc.