THE SCRUB EXTERMINATOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9242, 20 December 1888, Page 5

THE SCRUB EXTERMINATOR.

A great deal has been heard recently, writes our Hamilton correspondent, aloufc the rapid spread of gorse and sweetbiiar all over the country, and since the frequenb references in the Herald and Weekmt News to some chemical compound abouft to be sold by- Messrs. Hurst and Co. for the extermination of scrub of all kinds, at an expense, too, it was said, of not more than 10s per acre, your correspondent has been urgently requested by many settlers suffering from gorse and sweetbriar to induce the proprietors of the Herald and Weekly News to endeavour, by writing or other means, to obtain practical and undoubted proof of the value of the remedy. Thia may be done, first, by analysis, so that) farmers may know what they are putting on their land ; and, secondly, by the application of the remedy to, say,' a square chain of gorse in presence of a committee of reliable men, who would be required to report as to the quantity, character, and value of the chemicals used, the time occupied, cost of force pump or other machinery used, and the result. If the stuff will really kill out gorse and sweetbriar, then Messrs. Hurst and Co. have got a roaring trade before them. [Our correspondent must have a very defective memory, or pay very little attention to that which is written for the benefit of himself and his fellow-settlers, to write in the strain he has done. For some time past we have frequently drawn attention to the reported effects of this chemical agent when applied on vegetation in Victoria, and on the 24th of November, in the Weekly News, page 31, we gave the result of a chemical analysis made by Mr. Gray, of the Lincoln School of Agriculture, Canterbury. Mr. Gray found it to contain :—

According to Mr. Gray, " this is practically about 75 per cent, arsenic, with abcmv. 10 per cent, carbonate of soda, 9 per ctn.. of saltpetre, and a little haematite, apparently ground together. Mixed witu water as directed, the solution would contain about 4oz arsenic per gallon for scruu, and 2oz for grass," etc. The instructions for mixing are—l. For destroying eucalyptus, scrub, ferns of all kinds, briars, furze, Californian thistle, etc., to 10lb of material add 10 gallons of water, and boil slowly for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally ; then add 20 gallons of cold water, to make the Quantity 30 gallons. 2. For destroying ape weed, sorrel, burr, etc., a solution of one half the above strength will be sufficient —i.e., 101b of material to 60 gallons of water. The expense is trifling, and if our correspondent makes a trial of it in accordance with the inventor's instructions, we shall be glad to hear the result. The material is now obtainable in Auckland. I —Ed.]

Water .. ... 5-47 Arsenic acid 66'94 Sodic arsenite 12'10 Hodic carbonite 4 "57 Potassic nitrate „ .. 9 "00 Feric oxide „ .. '59 Undetermined and loss l - 33 100 '00