DESTRUCTION OF RAGWORT

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1930, Page 7

DESTRUCTION OF RAGWORT

THE USE OF SODIUM CHLORATE.

ALBERT ROAD DEMONSTRATION.

A demonstration of the use of sodium chlorate against ragwort was given yesterday on Mr. .Yates’ farm, at Albert Road by Mr. F- W. .Sutton, of the Department of Agriculture, Despite the weather numbers of farmers were present.

Sodium chlorate, it was explained by Mr. Sutton, could be used to destroy all large leafed weeds. It could be applied to weeds such as ragwort in ( two ways, as'a liquid or as a powder. For use on isolated plants it was advisable that the farmer carry a small tin of powdered chemical with him. When a ragwort plant was encountered a pinch of sodium chlorate should be placed in the crown of the plant and the heel used to press down the powder. In cases where there was a quantity of ragwort growing it was advisable to purchase a knapsack spray. An effecttive spray, holding three gallons of •liquid, could be purchased for about. £4. Half a pound of sodium chi.i'.ate to each gallon of water should be mix' d thoroughly and then poured into tne spray. The mixture thus formed would be of the maximum strength for use on ragwort, a 5 per cent, solution, it had been found that a solution varying between 2 J per cent, and 5 pel - cent, was effective.

Although experiments had been carried out with sodium chlorate over 12 months it had been only recently that farmers had boon using the weed killer. Since the field day at Croydon Road in August the value of sodium chlorate had begun to be appreciated. It had been found that the chemical when applied in the correct solution was 10b per cent, effective against ragwort, glove and hawkweed, while some users reported that it killed penny royal. A 10 per cent, solution of the tsame chemical applied two or three times was also effective against blackberry. Used on ragwort, sodium chlorate withered the weed, the poison going down from the leaves and eventually rotting the root. For the first two weeks the grass around the- sprayed ragwort also withered and turned white, but if 'the solution was not more than

5 per cent, the grass would come away with renewed vigour. The sodium chlorate mixture was not poisonous to cattle.

It was advisable to apply the mixture to ragwort at a period between the middle of September and the end of December, at the time the plant was most vigorous, the sap running freely between the leaves and the roots. The poison which collected on the leaves was surely carried to the root. It had been found that if the sodium chlorate , was applied during the winter months the po‘ :on took longer to work, also it often happened that many young plants did not show above the ground until the spring. Mr. Sutton instanced one fqrmer who sprayed ragwort but found tliat after about ten days there were still small leaves growing in the crown of the plant. This was., because the chemical tone _*d only the outer leaves. However, the poison descended, rotted the root, and eventually killed the small leaves.

Mr. Sutton referred to. areas of ground completely covered with ragwort. He was of opinion that in cases where the weed covered a large .section it was not an economic proposition to

use the spray until the ragwort had” been broken up. It would be necessary! to employ a liirge quantity of labour for spraying such a. .as as a great deal of water would have.- to be. used.- Then as it was necessary to spray every part of the area several men would be” needed.

He advocated ploughing tb a depth?of six Or eight inches to bury the ragwort seed so low in the ground that it would be difficult for it- to germinate. This method could bo employed only on- level areas, however, aiid in the case off hilly country it was best to run old," ewes across the property to break down .the weed. .