ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS— co^i^mweo?. 



Sore Eyes. — J.E. writes: — "Some of our cows are suffering from an affection of the 

 eves. At first the eye becomes very watery and a small grey spot forms on the ball of the eye, 

 gradually spreading all over and causing loss of sight. We can see nothing in the eye, but it 

 IS very painful and in about a week it has a yellow appearance." 



Answer. — Bathe the eye with warm water, remove any grass seeds or other foreign bodies, 

 and inject a few drops of the following lotion daily : — Sulphate of zinc 2 grains, boracic acid 

 lo grains, distilled water i ounce. 



Identification of Plants. — E.B. forwards a thistle for identification and inquires as to 

 best means of eradication. 



Answer. — It is Cardinis arvensis, L., Per.^aiiial Thistle, also called Canadian or Cali- 

 fornian Thistle. Proclaimed under the Thistle Act for the whole State. In eradication the 

 chief difficulty consists in the underground rhizomes, every piece of which will form a new 

 plant, so that' if the land is merely ploughed and then left, the plants are increased in numbers 

 and more thoroughly sjjread. An ideal treatment is as follows : — Plough deeply in autumn 

 and spring, raking out the rhizomes with a horse rake after harrowing and rollmg to break 

 the clods. Next season plant potatoes after adding lo to 15 tons of farmyard manure per 

 acre. Follow with any crop (drilled maize, cabbages, &c.) that can be kept clean between the 

 rows. Then sow a grain crop, after which the land can be seeded down in grass or cloverj 

 or both mixed. After this any thistles appearing on the land will be from seed blown in. 

 If preferred some such treatment can be applied to the thick patches only, the thinner patches 

 being pulled by hand whenever rain has softened the ground; the pulling up gradually 

 weakens the underground parts. The reason for doing it then is because more of the rhizome 

 is pulled from soft ground than when the ground is hard. The more frequently this is. 

 done the more rapid is the weakening and dying out of the rhizomes. Otherwise thistles can 

 be cut or pulled at any time. Only continued and well directed labour over at least two years 

 can clean a land of the perennial thistle. Poisons are of no avail. A palliative measure of 

 little permanent value is to close pen sheep on bad patches and hand feed them until the 

 thistles are eaten off or trampled down. 



MURCHISON forwards specimen of grass and states that he found it grownig on land that 

 he had watered ; some of the grass is 3 feet high. 



Answer. — It is Setaria glauca, Beauv., Pigeon Grass, and is a fairly goijd pastu're grass 

 but is of little value for hay. It prefers moist low-lying situations, and is a summer erass. 

 It becomes a weed in gardens and orchards. " Murchison " should note that the name and 

 address of writer should accompany each inquiry. 



E.A.C. forwards specimen of a plant which has lately aiijjeared in his grass paddocks. 

 Answer. — It is Verbena officinalis L. (Verrein), a cosmopolitan plant widely spread over 

 the globe in temperate and warm temperate regions. It is still used in India as a cure for 

 rheumatism and various other complaints, with more or less value according to the faith of the 

 patient. It is a perennial plant, seeds freely and is of no value as a fodder plant or as a 

 recognised medicinal plant. It is apt to become a troublesome weed if allowed to spread unchecked. It 

 should be pulled or dug up before flowering ; any plants near seeding should be piled and 

 burnt. If the land is badly infected, it should be ploughed up, kept under bare fallow for 

 a year, followed by root crops (such as potatoes) before seeding down again, care being taken 

 to procure pure seed. Clean cultivation and rotation farming will su]ipress any weed of tliis- 

 character. 



A.H. forwards specimen of grass and asks whether it is considered nutritious for stock. 

 He also asks where seed of Setaria viridis, mentioned' in "Answers" on cover of March 

 Journal, is obtainable. 



Answer. — (i) The grass sent is Sforoholiis indicus, Rat Tail Grass, one of the less valu- 

 able fodder grasses. It yields good feed when voung but when old becomes hard and tussocky. 

 It will grow on poor dry soil. (2) Setaria viridis is a native grass but the seed is not in 

 commerce except, I believe, in the Transvaal. Where the plant grows seed should be procur- 

 able locally, or through seedsmen. 



Tree Mallow. — M.T. (Loch) asks whether the Tree Mallow is of any value as a fodder 

 plant. With little attention it grows luxuriantly and stock seem fond of the leaves. 



Ansiver. — By "Tree Mallow" you probably mean Lavatera arborea, the foliage of 

 which would have a certain slight fodder value. A native plant, however, Malvastrum s-picatum, 

 which is a closely related plant though smaller, has also a recognised fodder value. Specimens 

 of the leaf and fruit since received show that the plant in question is Lavatera arborea. 



Unseasonable Flowering of Fruit Trees.- — S.P.S. asks: — " (i) What is the cause of 

 fruit trees showing blossom whilst the fruit is just ripening? (2) Why Wistaria should be 

 in heavy bloom at the end of January, and whether there is any remedy? 



Answer. — (i) The heavy rains of late December, preceded and follo\ved by great heat, 

 caused the development of blossom buds that would have remained dormant until spring under 

 normal conditions. Some fruit trees will probably produce a second crop of fruit that should 

 be removed as it cannot be of value. Matured trees will probably produce ample blossom buds 

 for next season's crop. (2) There is no way of preventing or modifying such a condition. 



Lucerne Growing.- — J. McK. asks (i) Can you recommend a variety of lucerne suitable 

 for the Rochester district without irrigation. (2) What quantity of lucerne seed would you' 

 advise to be sown on good timber land fallowed? (3) Would a crop of wheat sown with lucerne 

 injure it? 



Answer. — (i) No variety of lucerne is better than another without irrigation. Hunter 

 River seed is considered the best variety. (2) 12 lbs. per acre. (3) No, wlieat or oats are- 

 often sown with lucerne as a cover crop in the first year. 



Wart on Horse's Foot. — M.T. asks how to treat a wart about the size of a shilling on a 

 horse's foot, just above the hoof. The horse is quite lame. 



Answer. — Have the growth removed surgically as soon as possible. It is not usual for a 

 simple wart to cause lameness, and it may be that the growth is of a more malignant character,. 

 in which case the necessity for removal is the more urgent. 



