SODIUM CHLORATE AND LIME FOR RAGWORT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3400, 30 July 1932, Page 5

SODIUM CHLORATE AND LIME FOR RAGWORT.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Under the heading “Local and General News,” in your issue of Tuesday, I noticed that Mi*. John Tatham, of Otorohanga, has been using 5 parts of lime to one of sodium chlorate. Had he read in a previous issue of the Chronicle the method employed by me he would have saved himself many pounds. I have used 1 part of sodium to 20 'of lime and completely eradicated the ragwort within two days. We broadcast the mixture at not less than scwt. to the acre over the whole surface. Two men average eight acres in six hours clear working. At present prices, £2 6s. Bd. per cwt. and lime at £1 per ton delivered, our cost per acre works out at 15s. Bd.; the lime re-acts afterwards to super applied later. June and July are the best months to apply the mixture because you catch then the last of last year’s seeds just making their appearance. All but three of my paddocks have been treated with this mixture, and there is no sign of ragwort in them, as many visitors to my farm can testify. The other three paddocks will be treated before the middle of August. This farm will then be tangible proof of the efficacy of the treatment, which was also ap-pi-oved by Professor Easterfield of the Cawthron Institute, whose letter you were good enough to publish some weeks since.

The secret of success lies in the mixing. First make a 50-50 mixture —lcwt. of sodium chlorate and 1 cwt. of lime. Spread it out 'on a concrete floor as thinly as possible. Then roll out all the lumps until the whole mass is of the consistency of the finely ground lime. Then empty the other 19cwt. of lime into a coneshaped heap and pour out the 2cwt. of the 50 per cent, mixture on top of the cone and then mix as when mixing sand and cement, but do it very much more thoroughly. To do it properly, it takes a good hour, but it is an hour well spent. Active steps are being taken to enable farmers to obtain sodium chlorate at nett landed cost, and also to get it carried free on rail. I hope to be able to report progress on these two matters at an early date. A full account of my treatment appeared in the New Zealand Farmer of July 31st. —I am, etC- W. E. CAYLEY-ALEXANDER. Pio Pio, 27/7/32.