MENACE OF GRASS GRUBS

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1932, Page 6

MENACE OF GRASS GRUBS

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN PARK. PESTS PLAY HAVOC IN LAWNS. The activities of grass grubs, which have been wreaking more damage on swards this season than for many years, have reached such an advanced stage that the lawns on the playing area and around the terraces of Victoria Park, Stratford, are being definitely menaced. A Daily News representative visited the nark yesterday in company with the borough engineer, Mr. L. B. Da Y l3 ’ a . nd the brown patches of grass that indicated the presence of the grubs were unpleasantly numerous and conspicuous. Birds in their quest of the grubs scratch up the turf where it has been loosened through the grubs having severed the roots. Together with Mr. R. F. Harkness, a member of the borough council, Mr. Davis has been conducting experiments to discover something that will kill the orubs and as Mr. Harkness reported to the council, they found that aperite was the only effective agent. The trouble is that only a small supply was available and further supplies are unprocurable in New Zealand. . . The grubs are discriminating in their tastes—they eat the roots of the best grasses, especially fescue. The weeds are left severely alone, and the grubs do not appear to have worried the clover. They have inflicted most damage on the arass which is exposed to the sun all day or which is apparently cut shortest. Alon" the eastern terrace of the playing area °where the trees shade the lawn during the greater part of the morning the pest has made no progress. Likewise no attacks have been made on the longer grass, so that the grub has not manifested itself so far in King Edward Among the substances that have been fried are sulphate of ammonia, aperite applied with water and applied dry, ferrous ammonia ffnd various strong disinfectants. Only aperite applied in the dry form has been effective and a scrutiny beneath the turf where it had been used revealed dead grubs with only a few live ones near the outskirts of the area treated. Forolin will kill the grubs but its cost prohibits its use on a large area. " The ravages of the grubs have reached such an extent that Mr. Davis anticipates much difficulty in setting the ground in order for the football season. His chief hope lies in a heavy ram, for the grubs dislike'water in any quantity. Failing rain by to-morrow he intends to soak the ground with fire hoses and then roll it. Rolling, which usually kills a big percentage of the pests, has lost mUch of its value because the ground is so dry. A number of Stratford residents whose lawns have been subjected to the invasion have been able to preserve the sward by keeping hoses going all day and swamping the lawns. _ While the prevalence of the. grubs in the park is bad enough there is a more serious aspect to their activities, for many farmers are finding that their pastures are rapidly being encroached upon and one settler at Ngacre has found that the existence of the grass in several of his paddocks is being threatened. RUGBY FOOTBALL AT MIDHIRST. annual meeting of club. The annual meeting of the Midhirst Rugby Football Club was held on Monday niglit in the factory office, rhe president, Mr. G. P. Harkness, presided over an attendance of about 25 members all of whom were most enthusiastic. In his annual report the president congratulated the club on a successful year. The first juniors had had a good season, they scoring 59 points in 11 games, and 68 -points having been scored against them. The second juniors had not been so fortunate, but that was chiefly owing to the scarcity of teams in the grade, so that they did not have a game for three or four Thursdays, a state of affairs that was disheartening for the younger players. The balance-sheet disclosed that *9 19s 7d’ was brought forward from the previous year and that there was now a balance of £l2 2s Bd, a profit of £3 2s Id on the year’s working. The following officers were elected for the season: Patron, Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P.; president, Mr. W. Platt; five vicepresidents; selectors, Messrs. C. Latham and A. Richards; secretary and treasurer, Mr. P. Anderson; club captain, Mr. H. Lutze; management committee, Messrs. L. O’Keefe, T. Boniface, D. Harkness, AV. Ludlam, B. Davy and T. Cookson. It- was resolved to enter two teams in the competitions. Mr. Anderson was voted an honorarium of .£2 2s. ' PERSONAL ITEMS. Mr. W. Pastier, secretary of the Stratford Dairy Company, has left on . a month’s holiday in the Auckland district. Some time will bo spent in the Helensville district, where Mr. Pastier will be the guest of his brother, Mr. C. H. Pastier, manager of the Bank of New Zealand. In recognition of his services to the Midhirst Football Club since its inception, Mr. G. P. Harkness at the annual meeting of the club on Monday night was elected a life member and the meeting decided to present to him a medal suitably engraved. The Stratford Borough Council has decided that in future the Press will be admitted to meetings of the works committee of the council as well as to the ordinary council meeting. ADVERTISERS’ ANNOUNCEMENTS. The annual meeting of the Eltham Football Club will be held in the Foresters’ Hall this evening. All members and intending members are requested to be present. A big event is to be held at Lltham Town Hall next Monday, when the cricket and hockey clubs will combine to hold a monster ball. A good orchestra has been engaged and free buses are expected to convey a large crowd of dancers from Hawcra, Stratford, Kaponga and Okaiawa. The annual field day of the Stratford Jersey Cattle Club will commence at 11 a.m. to-day on the property of Mr. <S. Gadsby, Opunake Road. The Cardiff Football Club will hold its annual meeting in the Cardiff Hall on March 31 at 8 p.m. The Stratford Demonstration Farm will be the venue of the annual field day of the society to-day.