ORCHARD MENACE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 106, 1 November 1933, Page 5

ORCHARD MENACE

FIREBLIGHT NEAR NELSON

ENERGETIC MEASURES TAKEN

(Special to the "Evening Post.") NELSON, October .31. In connection with the outbreak, of fireblight in orchards in the Wakapuaka district, inspection of the fruit trees on properties situated along the main road between Oldliam's Creek and the scene of the first discovery at Atawhai proceeded yesterday, and up to the present the infection has been found of more or less severity in a dozen places. The disease appears to have set in ■ during blossoming ■ time, as the infection is mainly confined to the blossom spurs on pear trees. On some trees . half the spurs have been attacked, while in other eases the infection is only slight, and some trees appear to have escaped. No time is being lost in dealing with the outbreak, and departmental inspectors, and the Waimea Fireblight Committee are working in co-operation in an urgent endeavour to stamp it out and prevent its spread into Nelson city and the commercial fruit arqas. The cost is being defrayed by the Fireblight Committee, but this does not relieve fruittree owners from their responsibilities under section 7 of the Orchard and Garden Diseases Act, which places the responsibility on fruit r growers to immediately take steps to do whatever is necessary in order to eradicate the disease from their orchards and prevent its spread. The preservation of Nelson's fruit industry is vital to the progress of the district. Fortunately, the last three years have seen, the cutting of many miles of hawthorn hedges in all the fruit-growing districts, the work being done by single men unemployment relief camps as a precautionary measure against the spread of the disease should it make an appearance. The outbreak automatically brings the Fireblight Act into* opex-ation as soon as the proclamation is issued declaring the Nelson district ail infected area, fi is.anticipated, as was the case in Marlborough, that Nelson will, be included in the second schedule.