1920.] 



Eradication of Bracken. 



Ill 



weather boarding, the latter preferably creosoted under pressure, 

 is one method which will be found to answer satisfactorily. 

 The roofs may be covered with asbestos, poiHte or similar 

 materials, and care should be taken to use only fittings of the 

 simplest design and construction. Adapted army huts, it k 

 true, may in some places prove the cheapest form of farm build- 

 ing obtainable, but a concrete floor must be provided where 

 necessary, and in any case these huts must be placed on a 

 solid base with timbers at least 18 in. above the ground level. 

 On m^any holdings which do not exceed 10 acres, it is quite 

 enough to provide a rectangular building containing two loose 

 boxes, each about 9 ft. by 13 ft., together with a store shed, 

 10 ft. by 13 ft. and a loft over all. The tenants will find that 

 this gives sufficient accommodation for their immediate needs. 

 It has often been suggested that if the settlers were supplied 

 with timber at cost price, they would be able themselves to 

 erect smaller buildings such as pigsties and hen-houses. Small 

 Holdings Committees will be the best judges of the ability 

 of appUcants to carry out such work for themselves. 



The Ministry hopes that Small Holdings Committees will 

 make the maximum use of any equipment which may exist 

 on properties acquired for small holdings. In the present 

 circumstances, it will almost always be found to be more 

 economical to repair old sheds, cow-houses, etc., rather than tf' 

 erect new buildings. 



The Ministry fully appreciates the pride Small Holding> 

 Committees take in equipping their estates in the counties in 

 a model way, and regrets the necessity for pressing on Small 

 Holdings Committees such limitations as those just outlined. 

 There is, however, no other way to meet the present abnormal 

 cost of building which shows no prospect of earh^ reduction, 

 but rather a continual upw^ard tendency. With these facts in 

 view, Committees cannot fail to recognise that the urgent claims 

 of national economy make it of the first importance that the 

 land settlement policy of the Government should be adminis- 

 tered with due regard to the minimum capital expenditure. 

 ****** 



Experiments have been carried out in recent ^^ears in North 



Wales to ascertain the best method of eradicating bracken 



„ ^ from hill land. The results of the experi- 



Eradication of , ^ ^ 1 • ^ t 1 x- 



Bracken ments are stated m a recent publication 



of the University College of North Wales, 



Department of Agriculture. 



It has been shown that manuring alone has had no i)eneficial 



