May 2. 1904 
raised by Dubbie and Co., the two next by 
Connell and Sons, and the two last by Hy. 
Eckford. The silver medal of the society 
for the finest novelty of the year went to 
Scarlet Gem, and the award was 
unanimous. 
SEA WEED. 
Seaweed is looked upon by farmers aloag 
the Atlantic coast in America as a very 
valaable fertiliser. They cart it as far as 
12 miles back into the country, spreading it 
‘on the pasture lands and on the fields 
which are to be ploughed for corn and — 
potatoes. Many claim that it is more valu- 
able than stable manure. In this respect it 
possesses the special virtue of containing 
the seeds of no noxious weeds, and none of 
yerms of the diseases which attack potatoes 
and other roots. A ton of seaweed dried to 
15 per cent. moisture, contains 38 lb. of 
nitrogen, 84 lb. phosphoric acid, and $6 lb. 
of potash. Phosphoric acid, which is wortb 
about 23d. per lb., is; according to former 
experiments, the only fertilising element 
needed. If that be the cage, the fertilising 
value of the seaweed would not pay the 
trouble of transporting it. Where the 
nitrogen and potash are useful as fertilisers, 
the nitrogen being worth 6d. per lb. and the 
potash 2d., there is a considerable fertilising 
value in a ton of seaweed. ‘Then, I am told 
that, in this dry. climate, the seaweed rots 
very slowly, and that when it is ploughed 
under it so opens the pores of the soil, and 
admits the drying air so freely, as to very 
rapidly dry out that portion of the soil in 
which the young plants live. I really wish 
tI could have a few tons of the seaweed to 
_ try, for I think I could get some good out 
of it; but in the face of what I know about 
it at present, I cannot put my approval on 
apy proposition which means .the outlay of 
any considerable sum of money to utilise 
seaweed in South Australia. It might be 
used with advantage in districts especially 
favored with rain and as a top dressing for 
city lawns. 
WEEDS. 
(A Paper read at the November meeting of 
the Hawkesbury Agricultural Society.) 
By C. T. Musson. 
(Continued.) 
Weeps Sometimes FAVORABLE. 
We may now consider certain favorable 
points to be credited to weeds, which 
‘should by no means be omitted. (a) They 
are useful as covering the soil surface in 
times of dry windy weather: better, of 
course, to have a green manure crop of a 
“more valuable nature doing so, some 
legume for instance; but, failing that, 
weeds will prevent the blowing away of 
soil from about the roots of trees. We 
have had apple trees killed by this baring 
-of the roots, whilst experimental crops of 
-young cereals have been partially or en- 
_ tirely smothered by blown sand. Nasur- 
-ally, ‘timing’ in connection: with the wind 
sis the difficulty. 
_, (b). In hilly. districts weeds, if present, 
will prevent the washing away of soil: a 
source of much irritation and subsequent 
our list of winter fodder plants. 
‘can readily do away with weeds. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
labor in certain places. Here again, a re- 
ar rainy season is requisite in order to 
take full advantage of such a circum- 
stance. . 
(c) Many weeds in pasture country help 
to make up a good food mixture for stock 
—giving tonics, bitters, purgatives, and so 
on; useful and indeed necessary to good 
health. An increase in the proportionate 
amount of any one of such articles of food 
might, however, cause serious trouble. In 
_some cases they give valuable winter food, 
as in. crowfoot and clover burr. e 
(d) They supply green manure to the 
soil when ploughed in, but not of such 
bulk and character as a clover or rape crop 
for example. ee 
(e) They help to draw material for plant 
food from deep down in the soil, which is 
soon rendered available when the weeds 
are ploughed in. 
How WEEps ORIGINATE. 
We may now consider shortly how we 
get our weeds. Where do they come from? 
Most of them have been introduced from 
other countries without special intent—in 
dirty seed ; in the packing of merchandise, 
hay, straw, &c., being often used for this 
purpose. TI have taken thirty-five species 
of recognisable plants from meadow hay in 
which glass beakers have been packed, 
some of them of a detrimental nature. 
Large collections of weed seeds have been 
obtained from linseed, cereal, and grass 
seeds. 
Once here weeds spread rapidly: largely 
along the railways and roads; by means of 
travelling stock; in manure; through the 
agency of birds and of the wind; by means 
of floods and through various human 
agencies. Weeds new to the country are 
constantly being found; only lately two 
new kinds were recorded from the Liver- 
pool Plains; both useful adjuncts to 
One 
plant was, however, lately recorded from 
this district which is parasitic on grass. 
roots—yellow rattle, which has nothing to 
recommend it. 
All our weeds are not introductions 
from abroad ; some are native to the coun- 
try, and are becoming plentiful in our 
paddocks; for example, Cotula, a small 
composite and a milk tainter; whilst we 
have a large series of native plants in- 
jurious to stock. 
ERADICATION OF WEEDS. : 
To you more interest perhaps attaches 
to the question of treatment, if any can 
be advised, in connection with getting rid 
of weeds. I must candidly confess I have 
nothing fresh to give in this way. No pro- 
cess is yet known by means of which we 
But 
there are some few points which may be 
briefly considered to advantage in this con- 
nection. 
Every farmer recognises the necessity 
for keeping weeds down, and in his own 
way does something to that end; but 
usually not knowing the reputation of 
new comers, frequently loses an oppor- 
tunity of stamping out what later becomes 
stance. 
tion are numerous. 
1] 
a nuisance. How many men go out of 
their way a few yards to chip a weed out, 
or even a small patch—and thus prevents 
a particular weed from spreading—except 
it be in the course of this work in their 
cultivation paddock? I know patches of 
certain weeds that it would be a distinct 
benefit to obliterate—of Chamomile, 
Stramonium, and Prickly Pear for in- 
In Richmond it may be noted 
the authorities are actively engaged in cut- 
ting down all noxious plants, thistles, and 
Bathurst Burr chiefly. . If we consistently 
cut out the early visitors, we have a chance 
to prevent serious invasion. 
There is every reason, one might say, 
for weeds spreading. Our farmers give no 
time for their eradication. I mean 
specially in corners and along selvedges of 
paddocks, on the roads, along the river 
banks, and in grass land. It is of course 
a tremendous task, and if time and labor 
are not given to it, under our conditions 
it is difficult to spare them. It is a dis- 
tinct disadvantage to us in fighting weeds 
that we have no rest from cultivation. here- 
Crops can be grown the year round ; there 
is no period of “no-outside-work,” like the 
English winter, when the farmer takes 
his spud with him in his walks; cuts up. 
his weeds, trims his hedges, and clears out 
his ditches. 
The means we have at our disposal for 
coping with any special weed manifestar 
Briefly, we may ar- 
range weeds for practical treatment, into— 
(a) Such as can be left alone, being of ne 
special account, or because we can hope tor 
do nothing in getting rid of them, as the: 
small things in grass land; (b) Such as 
we must, and do, keep down by regular 
cultivation ; (c) Such as for some reasore 
are specially noxious ; as poison or taint- 
ing plants (like the wild carrot), or per 
manent denizens like prickly pear and 
sweet briar, and such as occupy ground 
wanted ior better things (as thistles and. 
burrs in grass land). iy 
Of groups a and b nothing need be said 5 
but of the third group c, which falls out- 
‘side such as come within our reach in the 
rdinary processes of cultivation, it may 
3 said ‘ht some special method must be 
adopted for their extermination according: 
to the special needs of the case. 
In eradicating weeds we need to note 
whether they are annuals or live longer 
than one year. In the former case pre- 
vention of seeding eventually kills them 
out. The longer-lived ones are more 
difficult to deal with; prevention of seed- 
ing, however, gradually reduces their 
numbers. Always remembering the labor 
involved, the following methoas may be 
resorted to aa found convenient. Appli- 
cations of arsenite of soda (cost 44d. per 
lb. in bulk), 1 lb. in 1 gallon of water. 
This kills most weeds at least to such ex- 
tent that the stumps (as in prickly pear) 
can be got at after burning off the dried- 
up plant. Salt in boiling water 1s a cheap: 
and certain weed killer; as is boiling 
water alone for succulent plants. vf 
6 
