NOXIOUS WEEDS. (Tapanui Courier)

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 9

NOXIOUS WEEDS. (Tapanui Courier )

Reverting 1 to tho noxious weeds -evil, we can only ~ reiterate what has been said before — viz., that it is now practically impossible to check the spread of most of the weeds whiht Government continues to find nurseries for their propagation. Crown lands throughotit "this district -ire infested with evory weed that grows, and river, forest, and railway reserves especially are covered with noxious hedge plants, Californian thistle, and ragwort. Land owners in the vicinity .ire stocked up with fresh seeds as faiit as they exterminate growing plants, and consequently they are tiring of the job. The "yarrow"' is also very bad on Crown lands, as well as briar, gorse, and broom. To come nearer home, the inspectors served notices on some land owners in the borough to clean out their weeds before seeding; and yet there arc sections wrere noxious plants have not been cut for years, and broom spreading from Ihrpe to five feet over the footpath=. What is the use of inspector trying to force a few people to clear out weeds whilst the many are allowed to cultivate them in unlimited quantities? We contend that the Noxious Weeds Act must remain practically inoperative if Government will not clear Crown lands. As an object lesson, take tho Tapanui police reserve, and there i? enough dock seed growing there to stock a continent; and the railway and river reser\es arj in many places equally bad. Tuapeka county is in a terrible mess with hedge plants and weeds, and so bad is a lot of th."> country there that it would cost more than tho land is worth to clear the weeds and hedge- plants. The question that arises i^ whether Government is in earnest in enforcing the act; and, if so, what measures the Ministry will take to clear their own lands before prosecuting freeholders for growing weeds * from Governments seed spread gratuitously on the soil of the colony? We notice that the Tuapeka County Council is requesting the Minister of Land? to stop tho inspectors from prosecuting- ratepayers who have ragwort on their properties, and his reply will no doubt he a smde for the department. There are millions of acres of weeds all o\e<- the. colony, and if the whole population turned out to try and eradicate the plants the work could not be done. As far as wo caii sco the evil must be l^ft to cure itself, as ony effort of th© Agricultuial Department to get rid of noxious weeds r* just abovf as efficacious as trying to empty the oceau with a bucket.

suit is thai the patient, was sufficiently well to be discharged in eight or nine clnv*. F-> far a-, is known (says the >Scotu-h Fannrr of January 14-) Piofe^m- Si-Ijpvo'- serum ha? only been u«£d in one oihcr vet in this country, andl the succor which has attended its use in the case -which has iust

occuricd in Kidderminster points to its being- a rao^t valuable curative of a mo.-.t malignant disease. j

Mr James Bruce, Seaficld, ha? (-says the Ashburton Mail} threshed out "several thousand bushels of oats, the average yield being about 4-0 bushels to tho aero. This yield would have been fully 10 bushels more but for the heavy south-west wind at the beginning of the yeai and the subsequent heaw hrui storm.

The potato dis-eas-e has made its appearance in th-e Tenmka and surrounding districts, and i-s doing much damage-. Mr Elliott, of the Department of Agriculture, has been visiting the district, and making inquiries as to its extent and location.

Mr Robert Maxwell, of Riversdale, has j\\<i, completed his threshing. A paddock of oats yielded 65 bushels per acre and wheat 45 bu=>hels per acre. In every case (says the Ashburton Mail) the yields are well up, if not above expectations.

Th© 13,000 sheep sold on the first day of the Otekaike sale realised £14,800, an average of £1 2s 9£ per head.