BLACKBERRY PEST

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 3 October 1924, Page 6

BLACKBERRY PEST

£IO,OOO FOR A REMEDY

OFFER BY GOVERNMENT

The Government is offering a bonus . . of £IO,OOO to anyone wlio can discover an effective remedy for the eradication ot blackberry. In'making a statement to this effect the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. \Y. Nos worthy] stated that the blackberry- pest was one of the problems which was greatly harassing the. farming community in many parts of the Dominion; in fact, in some districts it had'assumed such large dimensions that the. question ot its control had become one really of national importance. For years past the Government has experimental to endeavour to ascertain some efficient, practical, and economical means of eradication, and at the present time a rather extensive programme of > experimental work is under way, especially in the Wairoa County, • in Hawke’s Bay. The whole question was recently discussed by Cabinet, and it • was decided that, in order to encourage investigation by private individuals, the Government would offer a bonus of not more than £IO,OOO for an efficient, practical, v i«J economical remedy for the eradicat «tV of blackberry qtlier than by culti- • ul.iou, farm management, or tree-plant-ing 'methods. Applicants for the bonus will be required to prove by actual trials before a committee appointed by the Government that the remedy,is fully effective in eradicating blackberry at a. cost of not more than double that of cutting down the plants to about ground level. “I. am rather afraid, stated the Minister, "that no easy and cheap method will be evolved, hut the bonus may be an inducement for a considerable amount of private experimental fork being carried out,which may usetully' supplement the work in hand by the Department. 1 may add that the Department is giving considerable attention to biological methods of control, and is hopeful of securing some natural enemy that may be the means of at least reducing the spread of the pest. “The blackberry is subject in Europp to infestation by many fungi that are absolutely restricted hi their attacks to that plant. Full arrangements are under 1 way to have all those that are likely to be of any value tested, and it is possible that some at least will prove of significance in reducing the pest/ though the different climatic conditions here as compared with the colder weather experienced in many European countries may have an effect in bringing about varying results.”