LADYBIRDS AND BLUEGUM BLIGHT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2010, 20 February 1907, Page 3

LADYBIRDS AND BLUEGUM BLIGHT.

At Saturday’s mooting of Hie Agricultural and Pastoral Association (says tlio Timaru Post), Air T .Teschonmkor ridiculed the statement recently attributed in a Christchurch paper to Air T. AV. Kirk, Government bioligist, that the foiv ladybirds tlio Government had imported had boon the moans of clearing tlio blight from about 100 miles of bluogums. Ho was willing to give credit to any Government official who tried to help them out of their troubles, but to say that the thirty or forty insects which the Government had imported had done all this was too absurd altogether. The bluogums were a solitary mass of eggs, and to say that thirty small insects had cleared all tlioso was extraordinary. It was a fact that there had been'a very great improvement in the condition of tlio gums, hut the improvement was due to the dry weather, to climatic reasons, or some other cause, hut certainly not to these thirty imported booties. As proof that tlio latter had nothing to do with it, they had the fact that where the imported ladybirds were liberated at AVai-iti the least improvement was to be seen in the trees. But ho had examined all the. gums he could seo from tho line between Christchurch and Oamaru, and found them showing signs of vigor again, with leaves shooting out, and what blight still remained on them was dead. Air Kirk might as well take credit for ridding us of the potato ’ blight, which at this time last year was very had, and now it was not to he seen. They had the .dry season to thank for that. Ho'did not think - that tlio ladybirds had played any part at all in ridding us of the hlueguin blight. Air C. N. Orbell said that his experience was that the bluegum blight is as bad as ever. There were two plantations a mile long close to his place, and the trees were quite dead; they were, in fact, being blown over by the winds, and there was no sign of life about them . Air Teschemaker said that those trees had probably been dead before tlio altered climatic conditions set in. Mr A. S. El worthy said he noticed an improvement in tho gums this year, hut tliei’o was still some blight about them.