134 } QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Avea., 1898. 
Mr. F. W. Perx (Loganholme) believed in concerted action for the 
destruction of noxious weeds. These troubled the pastoralist equally as well 
as the agriculturist. The work birds did in distributing weeds about the colony 
through dropping seeds should not be lost sight of. With regard to weeds 
being spread from Crown lands and reserves, he would like to say that recently 
he knew the Tabragalba Division had advised the Agricultural Department of 
the presence of noxious weeds on certain Government land, and the Depart- 
ment promptly replied by asking the board to call for tenders, on its behalf, 
for the destruction of the weeds in question. This showed the Government 
was quite alive to its duty with regard to weeds on Government land, and had 
no objection to do its share of the work of eradication. 
Mr. E. Horron (Rockhampton) said that as for Sida retusa there were many 
of the settlers at Emu Park who looked upon it as a stand-by for cattle in 
winter. Prickly-pear, on the other hand, he considered a pest. On the 
Crocodile road he cleared a patch of prickly-pear a few weeks ago, gathered it 
up in heaps, piled trees round it, and set fire to the lot. He was out at the 
patch the other day, and the pear was up again and flourishing. Once on the 
other side of the Fitzroy there was no pear to be seen, but now it was scattered 
all over the district. Eight months ago he cleared a small allotment of prickly- 
pear, but now it was all covered again with this pest, for such he considered 
it, although he knew it was used by some as a fodder. He would like to know 
how to get properly rid of ae As for nut-grass, he knew of no way 
of getting clear of it. Trenching the ground was good, and by that means he 
had got rid of it ina few patches. He had left the footpaths alone, however, 
and the nut-grass came through them. Lantana was now on the north side of 
the Fitzroy, and one piece of land had been cleared of it on several occasions. 
A creek, however, ran through the property in question, and this washed down 
fresh seed on to it. The lantana was brought into the Rockhampton district 
some twenty-eight years ago as a pretty flower, but it was now very extensively 
spread all over that district. There was no doubt that joint action was essential 
for the successful eradication of noxious weeds. 
Mr. P. McLan said he had known a preparation called “Scrub 
Exterminator,’ manufactured by a Melbourne firm, prove very efficacious in the 
destruction of prickly-pear, provided the latter had not grown too strong. 
Mr. Horrow said he had tried “Scrub Exterminator’ for prickly-pear 
but the application, in his case, had not been successful. 
Mr. W. R. Rozryson (Toowoomba) had tried prickly-pear as a fodder, 
and had found it of very little value. People when feeding prickly-pear to 
stock often mixed a little bran with it, and it was probably this bran that kept 
the animal alive, the pear being not unlikely only more or less in the way. 
Both Mr. Macfarlane and Mr. Horton had said a good word for the prickly- 
Peat and the Sida retusa, respectively ; but he (Mr. Robinson) thought if the 
ockhampton dairymen fed their cows on that sort of stuff they would never 
get much butter from them. The speaker also considered the divisional boards 
were largely to blame for the spread of Noogoora burr. He remembered once 
advising a board of the existence of a patch of this burr, and suggesting that 
it be destroyed. No notice was taken of the suggestion, and the result was 
that from that particular patch—which, by the way, was still in existence—the 
pest had spread over a large area of country in the neighbourhood. 
Mr. J. E. Noaxrs (Maryborough) said, in discussing the prickly-pear, it 
should be remembered there were two kinds, one having alarge leaf. As forthe 
Sida retusa, he remembered running it down to the late Mr. James Foote, of 
Ipswich. That gentleman, however, told him that in some dry seasons the Sida 
retusa kept the cattle alive about Ipswich, and since that time he had looked upon 
it as afarmer’s friend. In any event, it could easily be got rid of, if the land was 
cultivated. As for lantana, it also could be regarded as a farmer’s friend. It 
was a splendid manure, and for renovating worn-out land there was nothing to 
equal it. The lantana had a very good reputation on the Clarence River. It 
was not much use classing nut-grass as a noxious weed, It was impossible to 
