A Blackberry Diatribe.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 February 1911, Page 4

A Blackberry Diatribe.

"AN OUT AND OUT WASTER,"

"Eric Sparrow" tints writes to the editor of the Nelson Colonist:—■

Sir,—During those days of high summer .many 'of your readers, l>oth town andl country, have made holiday excursions into the back country, not only of Nelson, hub of t.he colony generally. They will, without doubt, have beon feelingly persuaded as to the existence of the blackberry pest, over large areas of second-class land, and ,can certify that ifc is not- an imaginary <or a theoretical evil; the aspect of tilings will l>e fresh in their recollection, and the dimensions of the ease. From Auckland l to the Bluff it would 'be a pretty safe statement to say that most of the bush country and some others is badly 'shout* with this worse than Egyptian plague, from which, after an experience of over forty years there appears no deliverance in sight in spite of all our efforts in the. way of clearing and burning. Man may come and man may go, but the blackberry seems destined to flourish in immortal youth, as that the quest of a naturla enemy or of a royal road to its extinction has become most pressing. The. blackberry is undoubtedly one of the most out-and-out wasters of folie whole vegetable kingdom, and almost appears to have been specially designed to half ruin a large area, of our adopted land, and to torment the strugling settlers as an incident in the process. If, within nature, a remedy has been provided, we should be rejoiced to search. it : out and apply it. Unless an efficient natural enemy can lie found, it would appear that the old settlers now about to leave the scene will have but a meagre legacy to present to their successors something in legal phrase that would be called a daninosa haerditas—of little worth—dear at a gift, and more plague than profit. But we will hope better things, and should back up some of the N'ortihi Island farmers, who it seems, have been invoking the aid of American entomologists as to the natural enemy- subject. Such, remedies those scientists appear to have, but whether or not they will be allowed to "utter" them in this ccjiseorated land is the burning question. We ini.t^lit suceed only too well with our imported blackberry blight in that it might- attack other members of the Rosaeooe family which have an economic value— the raspberry and florists' roso, for instance. Well the alternatives of the case are before us, on the one hand we have a great pastoral and agricultural industry affected, and on the other the possible extinction of the small areas of raspberry •plantations, which are already in a bad way from various causes. Probably it would not be found; hopeless to placate the raspberry growers by going about the business in an orderly, methodical style. Let it be ascertained what sum would be required to cover the average annual net profits of the existing raspberry grounds in the whole colony. It would be found that a very small yearly tax made leviable on the blackberry areas over all New Zealand would transform the raspberry growers into rich men. At any rate, the probability is that if things go on as they are now, and an outside remedy, either entomological Or fungoid, or what not- is known to be available it will reach these stricken shores by hook or crook. Some philanthropic person—a friend to this land -a Tronic-, tlieus in disguise, will convey the remedy and place it in our waiting hands. Thanking you for space devoted to a dry and uninspiring subject.