HAWKE'S BAY ACRES LAID WASTE

Chronicle (Levin), 15 October 1946, Page 3

HAWKE'S BAY ACRES LAID WASTE

NAPIER, Oct. 13. Acres upoix acres of rnined crops in the market garden area of Bay View 1 bear witness to the depredations of New Zealand's latest crop pest, the red-leg-ged earth mite. Nowhere in the district are the ravages of the pest more marked than in this area. To the majority of Hawke's Bay people the mite is just something ahont which they have read. To the Bay View market gardeners it is a stark reality. Some of them are facing ruin — and know it. Their crops are telling their own story. Some threc inonths ugo, when the potential ravages of the mite wero ilrst brought to pubiic notice, fears were irnruediatoly expressed for commercial garden crops in the Bay View and Taradale areas. Gardeners in these areas beeame on the alert and kept a careful watcli for the mite, but it has not been until the past two or tliree weeks that the firm hold whieli thc pest has on the Bay View area has been realised. To drive through Bay View aloiig the main highway notliing appears amiss with the crops, although tlie pcas do appear slighlly yellow. But, deviate via the back roads into the lieart of thc market gardening area, and a different story unfolds. A gardener conducted a reporter through a patch of bleached clover to an acre plot which had, been planted in Freneh bcans. A couple of weeks ago a flourishing plot of green plants, it was nothing more than an acre of wilted stalks yesterday. The red mite had taken the plant leaves. Over a fence, the gardener pointed to a large plot in which between 3000 and 4000 toniato plants wero growing a few days ago — yesterday there was only a wide swathe of practically bare ground. Closer inspcction revealed the mite still at work on the remains of the plants. Nearby there was the remains of a

potato crop. Stalks protruding through the ground and a few wilted leaves were grirn evidence of wliat the mite had done to a thriving crop. There was an otlier large area of what had once been a crop of beans. An acre or so of green peas at first glance appeared to be healthy. Closer examination revealed that the mites were steadily sucking the sap from the. unfilled pods. The early pea crop will not fail, however. The peas are being picked now and there is every chance of survival. And so it was from oue garden to another — the same seene of ruined crops and frustrated growers.