32 THE WEEDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



Fodder. Cattle eat this so-called grass, and hogs are remarkably fond of 

 the roots. (Watt.) 



" This plant, perhaps the most pernicious weed of the Southern States, 

 is said to have some value besides that of its tubers as food for hogs. 

 According to Captain W. W. Woolsey, of Aiken, S.C., horses eat it readily." 

 (Kearney, Bull. No. 1, Div., Agrost., U.S.A.) 



Cattle and horses cannot help eating Nut-grass when growing amongst 

 true grass, but I have never been able to learn that they are fond of it in 

 New South Wales. 



About the year 1856, pigs were enclosed in a specially bad Nut-grass 

 area in the Botanic Gardens, but the pigs confined themselves to a few 

 holes about 2 feet deep. They did not work all over the ground in search 

 of the "nuts," and the Nut-grass continued to flourish. 



Tenacity of life. The tenacity of life of this plant is remarkable. The 

 growing shoots seem to stop at nothing. Many years ago some potatoes 

 were brought to me completely riddled with Nut-grass, and Dahlia tubers 

 are not safe from the pest. Crinum roots have been perforated by it, and 

 I doubt whether any large, fleshy tubers are not liable to perforation by 

 the shoots. If it be covered up with 3 feet of soil it will make its appear- 

 ance at the surface and flourish. I have seen it come through 2 inches of 

 blue-metal asphalt, which contained no visible crack. Mr. W. S. Campbell 

 informs me that the roots have been found 30 feet below ground by men 

 sinking a well in the Manning River district. 



" The seeds have a hard coat, and do not yield to digestion in the case of 

 any ordinary farm animals, except sheep. Manure, therefore, from cattle 

 and horses fed on Nut-grass is likely to re-seed land abundantly with the 

 weed." (Dewey.) 



How to get rid of it. The method of treatment will depend upon circum- 

 stances. 



Poison (arsenite of soda) may be tried on walks, but the applications 

 have to be frequent. 



If the conditions will admit of it, no method is better than the combined 

 smothering and fermenting process, i.e., by covering it with several feet of 

 manure, i.e., stack the manure on ground affected by Nut-grass. In a couple 

 of years the manure may be removed with safety, as in fermenting it ha?* 

 destroyed all plant-life below it. 



Mr. J. Dawes, Superintendent of the Centennial Park, followed this 

 method with success in the vicinity of the Rosarium. He piled the manure 

 on the ground, straw and all, for a depth of 6 to 9 inches amongst his roses, 

 and certainly made a success of the job. 



Where there is a little Nut-grass, it may be got rid of by persistent hoeing, 

 extending for weeks and months, or by the most conscientious digging up 

 with a fork, to remove every nut. But, as a rule, this is the very best method 

 to stir up the soil and to bring up the deep-seated nuts to the top and give 

 them a fresh lease of life. As a rule, the digging method is an absolute 

 waste of monev. 



