WEEDS IN DRAINS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 58, Issue 4122, 6 April 1949, Page 12

WEEDS IN DRAINS

QUESTION OF CLEANING USE OF POISON SPRAY EXPERIMENTS BEING MADE A report, regarding the possibility of using a weed-killer to keep the drains on the Hauraki Plains free from weed, was presented to the last meeting of the Hauraki United Drainage Board by Mr G. L. Banfield, instructor in agriculture, stationed at Thames. The board had written to Mr Banfield asking his opinion on this question, in an endeavour to discover a cheaper method of drain cleaning and to effect a saving in manpower, a major problem faced by the board today. The letter from Mr Banfield read as follows:— “ In reply to your letter of February 22, I wish to advise that there is no weed-killer available at present which is effective against partly submerged weed growth. “ However, experiments are being carried out by this department at the present time with “ Beno-clor,” a weedicide which is used in America for drain maintenance. This weedicide is injected into slowly running water and results obtained to date with this material appear reasonably promising. “ Where the drains are dry during the summer, sodium chlorate is the most economical and most effective weedicide that could be used for maintenance work and even then its effects are temporary only. The sodium chlorate, because of its inflamable nature has the advantage over other weedicides that it actually assists the later burning off of the dry grass and weed growth. A five per cent, solution of sodium chlorate is recommended for spraying pu: poses. ”