Canadian Thistle. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 13

Canadian Thistle. TO THE EDITOR.

Sm,— The Canadian thistle seems to be giving the farmers in various parts of the colony a good deal of anxiety just now. A number of correspondents have given their experience of the pest and the various methods adopted for its eradication, and with your permission I should like to give mine. About four years ago I had three patches of the thistle in one paddock and one in another, each patch being about a quarter of an acre in extent. The thistles were very thick, and nothing else would grow th/re. At the present time not one remains—they are all killed, none having been seen for the last 18 months. Though the patches have been carefully looked over from time to time during that period, not one has been found. A crop of wheat is now growing in one paddock where they were, and if any were in the ground they have had ample opportunity to show themselves since the wheat was sown. The remedy lies in the plough. '.The method adopted was as follows :—: — The swing plough was used with a broad sock, cutting a furrow 6in wide. Every root is thus cut. The ploughing was repeated every time the thistles showed themselves above ground — the plough taking a little more new ground, say a foot or two, every time, in case any should spread near the edge. After repeated ploughings the thistles became thinner and thinner, and in from two and a-half to three years not a thistle remained. The ground was not harrowed or anything else done after the ploughing. It was, however, ploughed on an average five or six times a year. The above plan is now being adopted by others in the district. Trusting my experience may be of some benefit to those who are at a loss to know how to deal with the pest, — I am, &c, Oamaru, February 5. E. Atkinson.