Ler, 1°00] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 219 
hirty or forty years, in places suited to the species, it would give a suitable 
; tree for pulp purposes. When once a regular young forest was formed, the 
| i at which the mean annual increment per acre culminated would be 
a: “mined, and that age fixed for future rotations. It is very possible that, 
| ly Pomments were made at the factory, it would be found that silver fir could 
© utilised, in which case it would be advantageous to grow a mixed forest 
‘pruce and silver fir. 
| as it It is indeed to be hoped that a market will soon be developed for spruce, 
—) Bri ‘Stoo heart-rending a sight to see all the grand trees now growing being 
| Ssolutely wasted ; and, as mentioned before, being girdled and allowed to rot 
Te “ever they interefere with deodar, even though the latter be seedlings a 
Wyears old. 
joitently grow thereabouts naturally. So it is expected that with a rotation 
ted 
Science. 
THE ERADICATION OF THE PRICKLY PEAR. 
| = Some time past the Department of Agriculture has been energetically 
| ; Suing investigations as to the best means of destroying the prickly year, 
- Various experiments have been tried with varying success. Until recently, 
~ /0pe of being able to deal with the pear pest in anything like a practical 
| a. “#8 only pure speculation, and it was feared that the old method of 
) Prooting and burning, or burying, was the only way to tackle it. Inventors (?) 
rhe, all parts have laid claims to having found a specific, but each method, 
; " put to the test, was found to present some features which rendered the 
leas either ineffective or too complicated to admit of good practical results. 
, a of the claimants for specifics for the destruction of the pear, instead of 
| deg: nstrating the efficacy of their special specific on a practical scale, merely 
Med to sell their so-called secret. 
1 Stat About six months ago, repeated experiments were made at the Westbrook 
| a Farm by Mr. Kable, who, under the direction of the Department, 
1 ®eded thither and applied his reputed prickly pear destroyer, under the 
5 Pervision of an. official from the Department. At first, some of the 
' hinge wets gave negative results, while others were partially successful. The 
| thont Vere treated in various ways. One patch of pear, one chain square, was 
| te ‘t by means of cutting a number of leaves on each plant and inserting the 
: Nee cal A. similar area was treated by making an incision in the main stock, 
2 9 tea the root, and putting in the poison. Another area similar in size was 
a it ed by merely spraying the whole of the plants with the solution by means 
| tht “Napsack spray-pump, which delivered the liquid in the form of a fine 
i on Wetting the whole of the leaves. ‘This latter mode of treatment has 
| it, Proved to be the most satisfactory way of killing the plant, as it renders 
[ eae unnecessary to puncture or bruise the leaves, and much time is thereby 
_“*, while the death-dealing properties of the chemical are more potent. 
dy Th order to test the ‘prickly pear destroyer” on a larger scale, an 
Agg, ment was entered into between the Department and Messrs. Kable and 
| eas, the latter to treat 100 acres of pear at Jondaryan. The area to be 
tho, 
oe see eo 
f—"— 
i ted was selected by Mr. P. McLean, Under Secretary for Agriculture, who 
eg a block very thickly infested. Operations were commenced in the latter 
ae of October, and up to the present time about forty acres have been treated. 
Ute sult would appear to be satisfactory. At first some doubts were 
*rtained as to whether seasonal conditions would retard the destruction of the 
