Spraying of Ragwort And the Results at Matawai

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17955, 6 December 1932, Page 8

Spraying of Ragwort And the Results at Matawai

| ESS sodium chlorate is required to to kill ragwort when -if lias reached maturity than •when it is in young and vigorous growth.

This point was made clear by Mr .1. A. Anderson, inspector of noxious weeds at Gisborne, when conversing on the subject,' lie said, however, that it was preferable to spray always with the solution at the same strength. When the growth, is young, principally in the winter and early spring, a solution of b per cent, sodium chlorate was considered necessary, and 2 per cent, when the plant, was in bud. and only one per cent, when it, was in flpwer. The spray, was more effective in showery weather, which helped to spread the mixture and do the greatest amount of good. It was better, however, to spray with a 5 per cent, solution, because at most times pf the year the plants were in varying stages of growth, and if sufficient were applied, to kill only the plants in flower, •a number in the bud and. others in the even younger stage of growth might live through the spray of weak solution. The cost of the stronger solution would be trifling compared with the effectiveness.

Tire best time to apply the spray was from (September onwards, but any time was suitable so long as the plants wore located above the ground. Mntawai fanners had good results from their spraying efforts last season. It Was impossible, however, to completely clear the country in one summer, and it might take four or live years to cope with, the aftergrowth of seeds that remained to germinate.

In ,regard to the danger in handling sodium chlorate, Mr Anderson said the main danger was in getting clothes wet and allowing them to dry with the solution on them. Only the oldest clothes should be used for the purpose, and these should be washed clean, after any occasion the solution was handled. If’the clothes wore put on after the solution had dried on them, they were liable to- catch fire if exposed to a naked light. Practically all accidents with sodium chlorate occurred bv putting on clothes on which tlu* mixture had been alhfwed to dry.