Pacific Planters’

Digest

.Antana Danger

FARMERS and graziers are warned of the danger of allowing iattle to eat lantana . . .”

The oft repeated radio warnings are icard most after some natural disaster las struck an island.

Floods, hurricanes and insect lagues leave in their wake devastated razing lands which almost inevitably jsult in the stock casting hungry eyes n the poisonous lantana.

Lantana grows profusely on many lands in the Pacific, and though the mtana bug (Teleonemia scrupulosa) as been released in several areas, as et, no success has been reported with le insect.

Long a scourge to farmers and lantation owners, as well as a atential danger to stock, lantana flies eradication with the cane knife, id also mechanical removal unless ppers or special grabs are used.

A chemical means of control with mine Salt 2,4 D has been proven fective in areas as wide apart as the ritish Solomons and the Fiji Group.

Amine Salt 2,4 D’s best advantage is can withstand high rainfalls, and an most 100 per cent, kill can be hieved with the application of a ixture of 1 oz of the chemical to 1 lion of water. * * * Amine Salt 2,4 D is a hormone weed Her which is also proving its value r control of water hyacinth; the mating and immersed water weed at adds to the decorative beauty d detracts from the practical onomy of many islands.

Water hyacinth can pollute stock inking water if allowed to flourish, d also block riverways and cause oding.

The ester forms of the chemical are )st effective on the waxy leaves of ; aquatic plant, but because it is jhly volatile in this form, 2,4 D 3uld not be used near sensitive ints, such as tomatoes, black-eyed as, kumalas, etc.

The amine salts are less volatile, t they, too, should not be allowed contaminate water which may be ;d on susceptible crop plants.

Try Bulb Onions

IT has now been proved bulb onions can be grown in some tropical areas, providing the correct seed and cultural methods are used.

Last year Fiji imported well over 2,000 tons of onion bulbs worth about £75,000.

The bulbs were of the Texas Grano and the Early Grano which had shown up well in trials in America and in Hawaii. The trials were carried out to improve the quality of vegetables grown in tropical areas.

Trials with these bulbs in the Nausori area of Fiji have been very successful. Onions weighing up to 7 oz each have been produced, and it is expected yields of from 4 to 8 tons per acre will come from a good crop.

The keeping quality of the onions is not fully known yet, but trial lots kept in airy conditions for several months were still very firm.

Treatment For Weevils

UNTIL recently the most effective way of removing weevils from food grain storage areas was to remove the grain itself.

Dusts such as BHC were ideal to combat infestation in grain intended for seed, but were unsafe for use on grain stored for human consumption.

Housewives who purchased food grains which had been stored for any length of time, followed a pre-cooking routine—plunging the infected grain into water and floating off its unwanted inhabitants. Any weevils or insects that remained appeared as “extra pro tein” in the subsequent dish.

Science has long battled with the problem—acute in tropical conditions —and at last has found an answer which carries with it the blessing of Government authorities.

Safe for humans, but an effective preventative against weevils and in sects, the dust comes under the name of Premium Grade Malathion.

Economical to use—3 oz is sufficient to treat 1 bag of grain—and long last ing in its effects, the dust is easy to apply.

Such long-lasting protection is given with its use that the farmer need do no more than give his stored grain an occasional check afterwards.

Since the Premium Grade Malathion carries its own built-in deodoriser, there is no smell or mustiness, and with regard to grain intended for seed the product has no effect on germina tion.

In tropical areas particularly, it has been found that best results are achieved when the farmer takes the preliminary precaution of destroying any weevils present in old grain or hid ing in cracks and crevices waiting to attack the fresh rice, corn, wheat or barley.

For preliminary cleaning of bins or silos BHC miscible oil has been found ideal. If diluted 1 pint to 3 gallons of water and used as a spray the BHC is perfectly safe.

Weeds Beat Copra

WHILE visiting Suva, the FAO Regional Agricultural Officer, Mr.

W. V. D. Pieris, had some forceful words to say about copra problems. ‘There are a number of problems which will have to be attended to pretty quickly,” Mr. Pieris said. “These are old problems, but they have to be looked at again. The two major ones are the senility of palms which should have been replaced long ago, and the presence of weeds. Noxious weeds and other weeds take over the land, preventing the coconut producing.

“You cannot grow coconut and weeds on the same land. In this com petition the weeds always win, because they are the more natural cover.”

Discussing the high copra prices, Mr. Pieris said he felt the demand for copra now was such that there was no danger of a slump, but he issued a warning: “What I feel is this—what I know is this—when producers get high prices they don’t do the wise thing and plough back some of the profits into the land. The management of planta tions should be geared to the copra price. If unexpected profits are being made the land should benefit.”