The Pahiatua Star. (Published Tuesdays and Fridays.) FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1888.

Pahiatua Star and Eketahuna Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 167, 27 January 1888, Page 2

The Pahiatua Star. (Published Tuesdays and Fridays.) FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1888.

A I,l. tar deal ul auentiun is being devo.ed at tne present time iu New Zealand to llie Californian thistle, a weed mat promises to cause no end of trouble and expense to farmers if once allowed to get a .o.r i.oid. When the bcotch thistle niuoe os appearance m the colony close upi .i u.irtj years ago, Provincial Acts by me dozen were passed to cope w.u. .- .pposed evil, and many a huati was well-nigh l udieii by trinties e .ponniiure in en-

mavonng to co.i t _ with me law. ilov. ever, time i cu tiie bcolcli ...bale not to be o ...ii.iidaole as was aiiucipated ; indeed, m many nisiauces n i. a, a direct benehl to the land, iuloiibitu as it kept the sou loose, and w lieu me plant decay ed it gave Hack more than it took out. .Scoich thistles in newly opened up country are as numerous as tiie sands on the sea .slime, but whilst they occupy a certain umouhi ol land, no one seems to mind them, lor it is well known that in the cour. e of time they will themselves disappear, leaving behind no evil traces. But the Californian thistle is quite a different tiling, and it would be well ior settlers to be on their guard against its introduction into this district. It is spreading rapidly in some portions of the tioum Island, m Canterbury especially, and there is no telling how soon it may make its appearance in llie.se parts. Owing to the spread in tne thistle in Tasmania, Mr 1 . A. iaoart, ( hiei Inspector of Ntock, drew up a report on the matter, which was read Ul tiie recent block Conference at Sydney, and from which vve take .lie loiiovving extract:—“There were now m Tasmania 1800 acres of land covered with Californian thistles. It wu- similar to the Scotch thistle, but the centre root went down to a depth ol 8 or 10 feel, and laterals were thrown out. Then m ploughing, if a : small particle of this thistle was moved by tne plough another plant sprung up. I ncy considered it depreciated the value ol land 75 per cent. It could, liow--1 ever, be got rid of, and the plan for s tins was constant cultivation. Thus, if any one had an acre of Californian thistle, he Biiould, upon its tirst up--1 pearanee in the spring, start hoeing at one corner on a Monday morning and ■ finish at llie other on Saturday night, S .is by preventing the leaf (which is the i lung of the plant) from appearing above llie ground it will soon be destroyed. tne thistle was introduced in seed outs from America, and there were now 800 acres jf Californian i thistle on the property where those ! oats were sown. There had been passed a law in Tasmania, compelling a:! owners or occupiers of land to pre vent tne thistle from blossoming. Failing that, the owners were liable to be prosecuted, there being a penally at lacbed to ti.e >x. .it of 120. There was no way i . m .eating the thistle except by con ..'ting." In another portion o <p. rt Mr Tabari gives Severn. . '..ere the pest lias been s. u.. . only after lire ■ ,n,- of mi n.-v. i i.e Cahforii le willgive trouble u" allowed anv .. ... de, therefore it behoves settlers .u ue on tiie walcli.