lo Xov., 1910.] AjiScLirs to Correspondents. 737 



Replies to the follozving questions ttuist be furnished bv afflicants : — 



1. \Miat v;irietv of fowls do \ou wish to enter? 



2. How lon<^ have \ ou been keeping this variety? 



3. What is \our jjresent stock of tliis variety? adult 



birds and chickens. 



4. Is poultry keeping your sole or jjartial means of livelihood, or a hobby? 



j. If [lartial means of livelihood, what other t)ccupation do vou combine with 

 it? 



6. Have the pullets you exjiect to j)en been bred from tested stock; if so, in what 

 way has the stock been tested? 



Xote. — Only one fen will be allotted to each comfetitor. The entrance fee 

 is £1 IS., but this amount must not be forwarded until after the fens are allotted. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPON^DENTS. 



The Staff of the Dep%itinent has Ijeeii organized to a larye extent for the purpose of giving information 

 to farmers. Question* in every branch of agriculture are j;ladly answered. Write a short letter, giving as 

 full paiticulars as possit)le, of your local conditions, and state precisely what it is that ^ou want to know. 

 All inquiries forwarded to the Editor must be accompanied by the name and address of the tvriter. 



luEXTiFiCATiON OF PLANTS.— D. B., P. M., W. M., V. J. P., and H. B. S. 

 forward specimens of plants for identification. 



Answer. — (i) Hoary Cress [Lefidium Draba. L.). It is not poisonous, but 

 it takes up the place of useful vegetation and should be suppressed. Clean cultiva- 

 tion and the prevention of seeding aid in keeping it down. If the pasture land is badly 

 infested, it should be ploughed up and kejit under bare fallow and well stirred 

 for a year, then followed by root crops (potatoes, &c.), or a leafy fodder crop for 

 a year or two, and then grain. The land may then be seeded down if required 

 for pasture. Care should be taken to procure pure seed of either grass or grain. 

 In small patches it should be dug up before seeding, piled and burnt. The roots 

 must be removed from the soil, as any part left in the ground will grow again. 

 In orchards or cultivated ground, frequent jjloughing and stirring of the soil will 

 keep it down and ultimately exhaust it, but if it has been long established, it may 

 take two years to do this. No poisons are of any use in dealing with this plant 

 •on a large scale. 



(2) Soft Crowfoot (Ranunculus muricalus, L.). A native of the Mediterranean 

 regions. It is a small intensely acrid jdant, useless for grazing, and of little 

 value even in dry fodder, and [ireferring moist ground where it is difficult to eradi- 

 cate. Drainage and cultivation or the encouragement of the larger pasture plants 

 and grasses by manuring and loosening the soil, will keep the plant under. Its 

 spread will cause steady deterioration in a pasture. 



(3) Dodder {Cuscufa efithymum, L.). Proclaimed under the Thistle Act for 

 the whole State. The infected parts of the crop and for some distance around 

 should be at once cut, piled and burnt on the spot, and, if necessary, with the aid 

 of brushwood or kerosene. Previously to flowering, it could be ploughed under or 

 if in small patches dug in. If allowed to seed, no clover, pea, bean, lucerne, or 

 other leguminous crop would be safe for at least five years. It sometimes attacks 

 potatoes and other non-leguminous plants. Raking out only helps to spread the 

 pest, as each part left in the crop will grow. It is spread principally bv the 

 agency of impure seed. Seed may last over five years in the soil. 



(4) Burr Clover [Medicaoo denticulaia, Willd.). It is of some value as a 

 pasture plant, but its burred fruits are objectionable, and it becomes a weed in 

 cultivated ground. The tubers on the roots are normal growths, and by their aid 

 the plant is able to assimilate free nitrogen from the air, thus enriching the soil 

 ■when ploughed in. 



