New Blackberry Spray

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18397, 15 May 1934, Page 12

New Blackberry Spray

AN" experiment in the destruction and eradication of blackberry is being conducted on the “Waikoko” property of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society by Mr. Duncan Gordon, of Hastings, who claims to be the possessor of a mixture which will completely settle the growth in, at the most, in two sprayings. The treated patch is open to inspection by farmers and others interested. Mr. Gordon states that he is not selling the preparation, but is laying claim to the Government bounty of i£lo,ooo offered some years ago, for the discovery of a preparation, which would cheaply and effectively destroy the weed, since he considers that the use of his mixture generally throughout the Dominion would spell the end of the blackberry menace. 'l’he mixture is applied hot, with a nozzle spray, directly on to the roots of the blackberry. Mr Gordon treated a patch of the weed at “ Waikoko,”

10 chains in length and about a chain in width, and states that the spraying took him approximately two and a-half hours, while the approximate cost of the material used was 3s (id. He states that he intended to make a second spraying, but on visiting the patch a few days after completing the first treatment,- found that a complete kill had resulted. He says that a slight degree of" I ‘come-back” may bo experienced in the spring, but is confident that a very light second spraying will completely eradicate the weed.