RAGWORT MENACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 15

RAGWORT MENACE

grave concern felt rapid spread of weed PLIGHT OF MANY FARMERS NATIONAL CONTROL ADVOCATED The marked increase in the area covered bv ragwort in the Auckland Province and the obvious inability of farmers as a whole to cope with it is causing gi" ive concern over a widespread area Those who have studied the problem for years and who have agricultural prosperity at heart express the view ' that control of the weed should be re'carded as a national matter, particu- - la'rly the spread is mainly taking place from undeveloped or abandoned areas. . From many districts come stones ot farmers walking off their land after vcars of bitter struggle, of. valuable ' stock poisoned, and of wholesale loss of productivity won at considerable expense of toil and money. "We have been left a legacy of the fruits of continued public apathy,", said a prominent agriculturalist yesterday, "and it will keep ' au y administration, however efficient, busy for a long time to come." Now that ragwort is in full flower it i» possible to get some idea of its prevalence. Practically unknown near Auckland and in the North, once the ( observer gets into the far Waikato and the King Country the weed becomes a characteristic feature of the countryside. Again on the fertile flats through to the Thames Valley, here and there J among some of the finest farmlands in the Dominion, are to be seen the deadly vellow patches, and vigorous growth of the weed is reported from a number of new areas toward Lake Taupo, as well as in the Bay of Plenty. Losses to Settlers Throughout a recent tour of the rag-wort-infested districts numerous cases of hardship due to the weed were encountered. In one case a dairyman had lost 21 out of his herd of 46 cows, and another, 60 cows in the past four years. The first man had spent a total of £3 an acre on chemical treatment and was just getting his land under control. Another settler, after 10 years of stern struggle, isolated in a vast area of unoccupied land, had recently, for the first time, been able to afford to buy sheep .to control his better country. Several farmers actively engaged in actual cutting or dusting indicated great fields of yellow that would inevitably send out their untold millions of seeds to provide more work and expense next se;rson. In another district a farmer pointed out from a hilltop distant patches, beautiful enough in the evening light, but each representing a soldier settler who had failed.

The problem' presents many difficult aspects. Like most plants of its botani- ' cal group ragwort is incredibly prolific, producing several thousands of seeds to each head. These by virtue of their lightness can remain suspended in the air for long periods till brought down by rain, and meanwhile may have travelled great distances. Again, the seed apparently retains its vitality for several years and careful cleaning of land does not ensure elimination. Thus, the dry weather of last summer cheeked ragwort seeding to some extent. hut this summer has seen a doublp crop in many areas. Above all, the plant is poisonous to stock, a fact whieli places it in a far different category from or blackberry Introduction of Weed The story of the introduction of .ragwort will remain in history as a most striking example of seed that would have been dear at any price. It has been- frequently . stated that the weed was introduced into this part of the world, at any rate in the Rua-a-moa district, near 'Pirongia, in a cheap line of grass seed supplied to the settlers by the Government. The result was a strong growth of the now prevalent weed, and subsequent attempts at control by a Government flock of sheep resulted in little effect on the ragwort, a line of dead sheep on the roadside on the way to market, and the rest in the boiling-down works. On the whole individual farmers for their own protection are doing everything m their power to keep their holdings weed-free, but the major problem of those with little or no capital and ;> of unoccupied areas still remains. Faced by the absence of any national control scheme, county councils have taken the initiative to purge their own areas, and excellent work is being done everywhere." Generally it is considered that ragwort boards should he formed based on the model of the highly successful rabbit boards. Already every attempt is being made to get widespread publicity and to inspire the co-opera-tion of all settlers. Possible Measures In many cases prosecutions have been resorted to, but,councils are reluctant to impose undue hardships on a man who is doing his best. One measure likely to be taken is a vigorous campaign against the man well able to clear the small amount of the weed from his place but who persists in an anti-social view of the matter. A special research movement is suggested, the cost of which, however great, within reason, would eventually be justified. Great ho|>es were entertained of the cinnabar moth, especially as white butterfly control has been so successful. However, the appetite of starlings appears to have given the moth a bad setback, and a further search for insects is advocated. Meanwhile, the method of dusting with a mixture of sodium chlorate and lime is being successfully employed whore funds' are available. In a great number of cases farmers find the financing of this operation beyond their .> slender means and have to resort to control by sheep, a somewhat prohibitive alternative at the present price of stores. Dense stocking is imperative and - to g«t results close subdivision is necessary. This has. meant that only the for- - rtujiate few can change from their normal dairying objective.