BLACKBERRY PEST.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17570, 8 March 1929, Page 7

BLACKBERRY PEST.

SUCCESS AT HAWKE’S BAY. Mr. H. Guthrie-Smith, of Tutira Station, Hawke’s Bay, has had remarkable success in clearing land of hlaeklrerry by the use of goats. In the Journal of Agriculture he relates his experience on his own station. After being kept clear of blackberry since 1882, Tutira became infested during the war period between 1914 and 1919. Certain areas on the station “got away.” Owing to the shortage of men it was impossible longer to dig out the scattered bushes. These —in 1914 probably insignificant seedlings or actually no't yet dropped by birds—increased both in numbers and size. By the end of the war they had possessed themselves of a valley or gorge facing south and of another locality facing east, the one of 150 acres, the other of double that- extent. This country had mostly been under light bush. “HOKBIFIED.” “When in 1919 1 returned from the Old Country 1 was horrified, and astounded at the state of the run,” writes Mr. Guthrie-Smith. “There were enormous blackberry bushes, actually on tho homestead lawn; there were five feet high thickets on the swamp lands, where blackberry had been unknown ; on every eligible site individual thriving plants bad established themselves. The two areas already mentioned had got far beyond the spade; ploughing or spraying with poison were alike impossible, because of landslips, limestone boulders and dead timber. “Prior to the advent of goats the methods of defence adopted were digging, poisoning, ploughing, chipping, superphophating and salting. Of these,s digging is the least expensive and most satisfactory where only scattered bushes exist; indeed, even before the coming of the goats nine-tenths of the run had been thus cleared—a mgn having been put on with orders to the manager that nothing short of murder and arson was to call him off his iob.”

COSTLY METHODS

The writer describes the various costly and usually ineffectual methods employed in ridding land of blackberry, and specialv emphasises the danger to stock of the use of chemical remedies. Curiously enough the smell of arsenic-withered leaves attracts cattle for miles around with fatal results when they eat them. Hundreds of pounds yearly were spent on blackberry eradication labour alone at Tutira without materially reducing the pest. Then Mr. Guthrie-Smith thought he would try goats. He continues:— “Goats finally were bought about seven years ago. Several of the small lots acquired were well-bred Angora; the others the very refuse of the race—terrible looking' brutes of every colour size and make. Year by year this unprepossessing herd has increased, only the best male Angora kids being retained as billies, and fast the flock is becoming white. We have now 600 mature goats—an ample supply for our requirements—and this year got over 200 kids. So far no attempt to utilise the fleece has been made, but at next docking the best will be roughly taken off and bagged. HOUGH STUFF PREFERRED.

“Since arrival of the goats the annual cutting of the blackberry has altogether ceased. The bushes on the twin plague spots—portions of 700acre and 800-acre paddocks—are now browsed flat. At first some care was exercised in barking the goats back to these infested corners, but after a week or so the newcomers settled down and since then have been left pretty much to their own devices. In summer they somewhat spread out to search for and dpvour the prickly tops of three or four species of thistle growing on the run; in autumn and winter they contract their range and confine themselves to a diet of hard thorny stems. I have reason to believe that during their summer excursions any outlying lawyer or blackberry discovered is never afterwards forgotten. No doubt the goats do take a certain amount of grass, but the area of land kept open by them and now also grazed by sheep more than makes up for the pasturage devoured. They, prefer, in fact, blackberry, lawyer, and coarse hard herbage to the best grasses. I Have known a mob pass over newly laid down grasses and clovers of two or three inches high—excellent sheep feed—to reach the roughest of herbage. Scattered blackberry bushes on the rich alluvial flats are more than held in hand; I have no doubt whatsoever that even blackberry in lucerne would be discovered and nibbled back. Certainly, too, goats eat much seedling manuka of an inch or so in height; they also trim the bigger bushes. GOATS AS POLICEMEN.

“At first I did not care to see goats in every paddock, but nowadays we let them go where they like, sure that they can do no harm; and sure, too, that any seedling blackberry that may have escaped human eyes will never be allowed to. grow more than an inch or so in height or spread. They are the police of the vegetable ne’er-do-wells. We are glad to see them establishing themselvs in paddock after paddock. “The sucoess of the goat as a blackberry destroyer is the more remarkable in that—on Tutira at any rate- I —the most virulent and luxuriant growth of Itubus fruticosus is to be found on steep aspects, hillsides facing due south and therefore damp, cold, and almost sunless throughout the winter months. There, nevertheless, goats do most congregate, and there they have nibbled the bushes as box edging are trimmed by garden shears.

“Since the stockings 1 ’ of Tutira with goats at the rate of 60 per 1000 sheep scything and poisoning of blackberry have altogether and absolutely ceased. Spade work, too, has been stopped in paddock after paddock. The 6 per cent, of goats carried has made no difference in the feed available for sheep. In paddocks of 600 and 700 acres goats work the blackberry areas without shepherding. At the worst they are no worse than merinos; indeed, they are less restless and wild than this breed of sheep,” remarks Mr. Guthrie-Smith. “Nor must it be thought that only large areas of ground can satisfactorily be treated with goats. 'Settlers on 800 and 1200acre farms are making a good job of the pest. The countryside is in appearance improved out of all knowledge. Sections that have until lately

been regarded as practically worthless will again support settlers. “The stocking of Tutira with goats .to the extent of 60 per 1000 sheep has been in my estimation an unqualified success. Ido not see how this method of blackberry control can be bettered.”