lo April, 1909.] Proclaimed Hedge Plants. 235 



in some parts as great a nuisance as any of the proclaimed plants, but it is 

 a native nuisance and the only practical means of suppressing it is by 

 the continued extension of cleanly cultivation and the spread of closer 

 settlement. On the other hand. Box Thorn {Lycium horridum) was 

 originally recommended by Baron von Mueller for introduction as a hedge 

 plant, and has been largely used in many parts of the State for this 

 purpose. 



The plant is easily established. It is impenetrable to stock, stands 

 drought and exposure" to strong winds extremely well, is resistant to 

 grass fires, and has therefore many of the strongest recommendations for 

 a hedge plant in dry wind-swept districts. On the other hand, if neglected, 

 the plant soon forms an impenetrable jungle which cannot be destroyed 

 by fire while standing and is too dense to roll flat and burn. The roots 

 of a single plant may extend 20 to 30 feet laterally, so that they will 

 •draw moisture from the crop to a large extent round the edges of every 

 field. The thorny character and irregular growth of the plant make it very 

 difficult, and even dangerous, to cut. Several cases of blindness have 

 occurred through a thorn entering the eye and even on entering the flesh 

 it makes a painful wound, being probably slightly poisonous. The plant 

 fruits abundantly and the seeds are spread far and wide by birds. 



Box Thorn soon showed such signs of becoming a dangerous pest that 

 the Shires of Bacchus Marsh and Melton applied for its proclamation, 

 which was granted in 1904. In 1907, after the receipt of a further request 

 for proclamation from the Shire of Bairnsdale where the plant was proving 

 troublesome, it was proclaimed for the whole State, to hinder its spread 

 into sparsely settled districts. Altogether the plant is a highly dangerous 

 one to use in sparsely settled districts and it soon turns neglected or 

 abandoned homesteads where it has been used for hedges into a vermin 

 protecting jungle, which can only be destroyed at considerable cost. Even 

 around the shores of Port Phillip Bay, this plant appears to be spreading 

 fast and it will be a matter of the deepest regret if the pleasant groves 

 of tea-tree along the coast become surrounded and iiiterspersed with an 

 ■objectionable scrub of this character. Every fire, and every neglected clear- 

 ing, will give it a fresh opportunity for encroachment unless it is kept 

 under control. Prickly Cactus was recently approaching this district along 

 the railway lines and might have done much damage, but for the prompt 

 action of the Railway Department. 



If we are to judge from the context and from the practical application 

 •of the Thistle Act, its purpose is not so much to force a land-owner to 

 keep his land clean and free from weeds as to prevent him from allowing 

 such plants to flourish upon it as will be dangerous to or inflict damage 

 upon his neighbours. From this point of view Gorse, Broom, Acacia- 

 hedge (Prickly Acacia), Box Thorn, &c. could all be used for hedges 

 without infringing the spirit of the Thistle Act, provided they are kept 

 cut and trimmed and not allowed to exceed 6 feet high by 3 feet broad. 

 There would then be practically no danger to neighbours nor would such 

 hedges be anything but useful to the land on which they grew. 



Hedges or stone walls, or turf banks are far better boundaries to a 

 land than wire fences. They act as wind breaks, checking sand drifts 

 and dust storms, they give shelter to stock, they help to arrest the spread 

 of floating seeds of many weeds, and the spores of parasitic fungi. Like 

 fire, however, which is a blessing or curse according to whether it is under 

 control or not, so also do many useful hedge plants become curses, if 

 allowed to spread unduly. An untrimmed hedge full of gaps, irregular 

 in height and flowering and seeding profusely ^s not only a useless drain 



