NOXIOUS WEEDS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7139, 28 May 1910, Page 16

NOXIOUS WEEDS

CALIFORNIAN THISTLE IN' I’ARTTCULAK. WANTED A NEW POLICY. A .subject which attracted considerable attention at tito Farmers’ Union Conference was that of noxious weeds. A motion on the order papei—that the Government bo requested to keel) Crown lands free from noxious weeds—which was carried unanimously, brought out a general discussion on the matter. It was made clear by a number of the delegates that there were certain localities in rough country where it was impossible to deal with Californian thistle, and therefore it was only inflicting hardshio on settlers forcing them to attempt to, keep Uio weed under. Several delegates expressed the opinion that the thistle was not tlio pest some xieoxilo would make it out to bo. One delegate declared that the only remedy for the evil was to subdivide estates, so Unit the land would bo held in su"h areas that the occupiers could deal with tho pcs. Tiro president. Air J. U. Wilson, made tho most reasonable suggestion. This was Unit tho Government should appoint a special man to make a. report on tho thistle, especially as to tho distance which the seeds would bo carried by the wind, and generally recommend the best method of dealing with it. With tho knowledge available of (he thistlo the, speeches of delegates were rather disapiminting, not being, by any means, as informative as the acquaintance of some speakons wit a tho pc.it would load one to expect. As there is country sj overrun by Californian thistle that neither the individual nor the Stale can clear it, surely tho obvious policy would be to classify tho country affected, ana having ascertained the distance seeds will travel under ordinary conditions, fix a width of belt around poor thistle-infest-ed country which must bo kept clear in order to protect adjoining lands which may be clear or only partially affected. If this were done the man on agricultural land would bo protected without harassing the occupier of- laud where control of the thistlo is impossible, through the , inaccessibility and roughness of the country. Protection of the occupier who is following sound rules of husbandry from tho carelessness or ignorance of another is. tho foundation of all agricultural law. Therefore, if it can bo shown that the seed of the Calif ornian thistle will not travel any distance tho above procedure is the obvious x>olicy of the department. The Californian thistle has a heavy pendulous seed which will not travel anything like tho Scotch thistlo, v and, this being tho case, it would appear that classification of land is the keynote of the control of the pest. Of course, this method outlined above should apply only to districts where thousands of acres are already infested, and where complete eradication of the pest is beyond human power. On tho other hand, in’ places that are at present practically free (as in many districts in this island), no measures could he too rigorous to prevent either the introduction of the pest or its spread. All seed, for instance, should be sold under a certificate that it has been effectively’ denned, and that it has been grown on thistle-free country. If the weed docs make its appearance in such country’, most vigorous action should be taken to prevent its spread, and to eradicate it rf at all possible. It is to be hoped when the important matter of weed control comes before the National Conference of the Union this policy of checking the spread of tho Californian thistlo will be considered and an effective and reasonable scheme be, as a result, submitted to the Government.