"IS IT ROOT KNOT?"

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1542, 11 September 1912, Page 2

"IS IT ROOT KNOT?"

NEARLY A MILLION TREES CONDEMNED. v ißr Telegraph.-Press Association.) Auckland, September 10. A meeting of nurserymen was held at Auckland tnis afternoon to discuss the action of tho Agricultural Department in condemning nearly a million fruit trees during the last six or eight weeks, on the ground that they are affected by a diseaso known as root knot. It was announced that during the last eight ■ weeks .£20,000 worth of trees had been condemned in New Zealand because of the alleged disease, and that ono firm alone (represented at the mcotiug) had had MHO worth of trees condemned. Mr. A. MucJJonald, who presided, ovor tho meeting, said that it was tho opinion of leading American experts that at least 99 per cent, of the alleged cases of root knot were wrongly so classed. It was also, he said, now held that the disease was not harmful. Mr. Horton (Hastings) said a natural characteristic of the "northern spy" apple stock was that being mistaken by the Department for this infectious diseaso. The first intimation his firm had received was when 10,000 trees sent to Nelson had been returned because the Government biologist (Mr.' Kirk] had declared that they were all affected by root knot. Since then the Department had condemned trees grown in practically every nursery garden in New Zealand. He (Mr. Horton) got tho best opinions, and these he quoted %to the meeting, the general opinion being that healthy, well-grown nursing stock , was being improperly condemned all over the country, and that natural callousing was being mistaken for root knot. Mr. Horton mentioned two of the best known professors in the Dominion as having differed with Professor Kirk in his decision that root knot existed as stated. In the opinion of an Auckland professor, what has been mistaken by the Department for root knot was a natural characteristic, consisting of nothing but healthy woodforming material. A large consignment of trees from Australia had been condemned for tho same reason, and three shipments, consisting of 7000, 14,000, and 2400 respectively, from Sydney, had also been condemned. Mt. W. Boucher, Government Pomologist for the North Island, was in attendance, and exhibited a number of specimens. Ho said the diseaso had not been found to effect moro than one per cent, of New Zealand-grown trees, bnt the dangei was that with the importation of affected trees from Australia their nurseries might become badly infected. He read the following telegram from Professor Kirk:— "Specimens of trees from Tasmania and from importations, were submitted to Mr, Cockayne, who now reports: "Trees submitted are attacked by crown gall* (root knot or hairy root). Tho organism known as bacterium tumefaoiens having been isolated by me proves that thero is no doubt trees aro affected with the same disease as described by Erwin Smith." Some condemned trees were also sent back to Australia, and were examined by a Government export, who reported that they wore affected with "crown gall." The meoting passed a resolution to the effect that the sample trees shown were not suffering from root knot.