CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 8

CALIFORNIAN THISTLE.

ALLEGED INTRODUCTION IN IMPORTED SEED. At the meeting of the North Cantieirbutry Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union on Wednesday (says the Press), the president (Mr Richard Evans) referred to the question of the spread of Californian thistle. He said his attention had been drawn a number of times to the fact that there was being imported into New Zealand seed that contained Californian thistle. M,r Evans produced a sample of seed which had been brought to him that morning by a man who said he did not want to reveal any names. This seed was mostly a hike, and it was impossible to take the Califor nian thistle out of it. Mr C H. Eneor inouired how far the case was covered by the Noxious Weeds Aet. He suggested that perhaps they need only draw the attention of the Agricultural Department to the matter and have the act enforced. Mr Evans said that 15 tons of the seed he referred to had been imported, and frHnt was enough to cover the whole country with thistle. He knew of a case where chaff had been sent from another part of the colony to Taranaki, and had been rejected and destroyed because of its containing noxious weeds; but it was no good cleansing their own country if they allowed weeds to be imported. , Mr C. H. Ensor moved, and Mr Wilfred liall seconded—" That this executive is of opinion that Med is being imported into this country containing Californian thistle, and wishes to know if there is anj protection for the farmers against such importation." A mieimber remarked that in his district tf)e thistle seed had heen carried in a simple manner—namely, on the ledges of chaff cutters and o>jier machines, and precautions were taken to counteract this. Another member present ©aid the seed was carried bv slbeeD in their wool, and a

] third member remarked that recently 19 i or 20 truck loads of sheep had come into • his district from the heart of a district \ where Californian thistle was rife. The motion was agreed to.