FIGHTING PESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1928, Page 1

FIGHTING PESTS

ENGLAND’S GIFT TO AUSTRALIA.

DR TILL YARD’S WORK.

SYDNEY, Aug. IG,

The announcement by the Prime Alinister that the work of the Australian Department of Economic Entomology had created such interest abroad that the Empire ALorkcting,Board had cabled from England nil offer to provide £25,000 immediately for capital expenditure, and about £87.000 spread over five years for maintenance charges has been well received. It should he of great ' interest to New Zealand, too. because of tho prospect of a system of helpful co-operation between the Dominion and the Commonwealth.

Dr R. J. Tillynrd, formerly of New Zealand, and chief entomologist for the Council oF Scentific and Industrial Research, said not so long ago that scientific research, once neglected, misjudged, and suspected by the average man, bad at last taken its place as

“a welcome partner in the community business of living.” The Council is the co-operating authority in Australia. It aims to co-operate with all Government and other organisations intiating or carrying on scientific investigations. There, is a similar organisation in England with an Imperial outlook, as is evidenced by its latest- offer.

Dr Tillynrd recently furnished the Council with a report on a general scheme of entomological research. Tn a country like Australia, where the

muiii imlnstres are those of n primary nature, the immense damage done hv insert posts is well known. Ihe only hope of reducing the damage to any appreciable extent lies in thp application of fundamental knowledge, which, of course, can only become available asthe result of research work. One of the main problems for a general scheme of research is the biological control of noxious weeds. These weeds, in order of their importance, are St. John’s wort, hoary cress, saffron thistle, tlie various burrs, stinkwort. star thistle, Paterson’s curse, anti the skeleton weed.. Then there are the weeds that are being studied at the biological control laboratory in New Zealand, the blackberry, ragwort, and gorse. All these weeds are pests in Australia. An outstanding problem is the control of insect pests. There is the sheep blowfly pest, an exceedingly difficult and intricate puzzle for research. Again, there is the buffalo-fly pest, a menace to tlio cattle industry of the north.

Australia, says Dr Tillyard, not only presents economic entomological problems of outstanding difficulty, but possesses an insect fauna probably of greater interest than any other in the world. The combination of research work on the two subjects offers a unique opportunity for the training ot Empire entomologists. The noxious weeds work, if it succeeds, will initiate a method of general application. The blow-fly .pest is of great importance to other countries as well as to Australia. Probably in no other part of the Empire does an equally good opportunity exist for obtaining so wide and varied an experience in research in the main problems of economic entomology.