Peach Blight

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 7, 27 June 1885, Page 2

Peach Blight

The Government has . commissioned Professor Kirk to. trarel round in the Wailf at# and other Auckland districts in order to collect information as to the nature and ,eaase of the blight which for the -last three seasons has created slob havoc among tha peach trees. AWaikato settler, writing to the Evening Star on " the <snbject: ridicules the Professor's mission. Hfsays:— l call it "fooling** te trot Professor Kirk round at tnis time of the year when there is nothing but bare twigs ta|be seen, and not many of those. Every settler ia the Waikato can bear tatiknenVjthi*t the trees are dead, or half dead anp no tfruit,' and all of your correspoMentf. htfi, been lamenting the lose, and '-^mbu ,s}*• blight for three or four Te^rSiV'K the Goternmcnt wish to assist, irh^fihiit is there duty to Jo, let then depute isome scientist toreside here, and lei >^inj Kare the powerful niicr »scjope obtainable, and thus be on the i po£ when the disease appears in the sprii j, to Inoroughly exaajine trees and M^scfed bipnblics and try experiments for eure.f We know the disease, we want the cure. The writer concludes by offering to place 20 qf^his the disposal of the G^OTenuri'ent to experiment upon. ■ V? . '