Noxious Weeds Control Is To Be Tightened Up

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18191, 12 September 1933, Page 4

Noxious Weeds Control Is To Be Tightened Up

MORE stringent measures are to lie taken in flic Gisborne district in regard to the control of noxious weeds. .'The Minister of Agriculture has recently authorised prosecutions, which were withheld (luring the worst ot the depression period, and il is expected that some will be heard shortly. An indication along these lines was given yesterday by the inspector ot stock ni Gisborne, Mr. J. H- Anderson. when in conversation with the writer. He pointed out. that county councils and farmers’ organisations had agitated from time to time to have the noxious weeds problem attacked vigorously. This had been accomplished as far as was possible under the circumstances, and in some areas determined attempts had been made, in clearing the country of noxious weeds. A good instance of what had been done was at Wainui, where large areas of blackberry had been cut back recently, The best time to clear these vines is just after tho fruit had formed, but the present work would leave the land clear and prevent the spread. Spraying experiments had been carried out previously in this area with sodium chlorate, but it was .found that this spray merely checked the growth, which came up from the roots again. It had been found in some parts that, after cutting, heavy topdreo.-dng of the area round the roots brought away a sharp growth of young grass, and the stock feeding on this automatically kept down the new growth of blackberry. Such a method was worthy of a further trial. Last summer farmers in the Matawai district did good work with sodium chlorate on ragwort-infested pastures, and a big improvement should be. noted during the coining season in those parts. He antieipat ed that the lighter growth of ragwort that was anticipated during the com ing summer would bo attacked just as vigorously.