BLACKBERRY PEST.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 October 1928, Page 2

BLACKBERRY PEST.

IMPORTANCE OF INSECT CONTROL. A SMEEP-F.A RM ER >S V I EW3. Cl I R ISTCTf CU( 11. Oct o!.or (!. 'iln? sintemeiil made by the Minister of Agriculture on the sahje -t n! the hlackticrry pest will nut lie pnrlicuiarly pie:sing to North is! ml sheepfarmers, f:( cording to the view e\;.r-s s-ed by Mj l ,1. S. Jw-sep, a mi'inher oi the Meat Board and a v, eiiknown H:uvi:c’s Hay siiecp-ou ner. M.I 1 ,'Jcs.scp, who was in ( lirisl i hui .-h yesterday, told a reporter ihat Ih. owners of iiill country liad 'em sp-en l ing thousands of pounds a year trying to keep the hi-ekberry in < in. l k and (hey would he he gravely discouraged by the tone oif'Alr I iakw* n s statement.

: ‘lt is a curious fact.” he said "ih i the issue of this extraordinary state in.mit coincides with the visit to the Dominion of Dr TiNyard.'who is ret o liiscil throughout the world as :.n authority on insect coin ml of noxious weeds and who has been experiment ing with the blackberry. “|. would vt'ry much like to know wheth.er this discouraging de.eiaration Ir s Dr Tillyiml’s Approval. Tile apathy and opposition of Government officials was. I think, largely instrumenttal in New Zealand's losing the services of Dr Tillvavd and Australia gaining them. Some two or three

years ago, a meeting was held in Christchurch (at which Dr Tillyard presided) to consider ways and means of controlling what is unquost ionaM’, ih r > greatest menace to undulating laud in the Domin'on. At that meeting Mr Cockayne, head o! a Government Deoartmevl. was en d. led Hit - having mad- 1 t;h<> asio ndin.-r st ' omen that the ordinary bracken was a great er menace to prod uc-tion than hla'-k----berry. . Had any employee of a commercial concern shown so lit.i Ic*- !;n or Jedge of the business under his control, he would probably have been dispensed with (forthwith. Erom that time on it was obvious to land-owners most interested that little or no bo.lp could be expected from the Denar! mont of Agriculture, more especial I as - the present Alinister lead state" that it was not his-business to civd.cate the noxious weed of the Do nvnioiE “-Through the instrumentality of AT r, S. Forsyth, London manager of ih Meat Producers’ Board, who is a mem her of the. Imperial Eeom'm-c Commit ft 1 r> Fmp'vp Af r - vkc-t'ii 7 Board, a special grant was obtained from the

ier body towards the prosecution o 4 f biological research at fits Cawthrov. Institute. Tliis grant, -I -understand wins' subsidised bV the'Gnvernmen From time to time various article have appeared in the “ Agrie-dtiu-Joui'Ual ” and in the Press, em'-mitim from the Department of Agriculture throwing cold water upon insect cm teol of noxious weeds. It was no to be expected that any real assistance would bo obtained 'from the Depart mont of Agriculture when the official having charge of this particular hr?nob held views such as those expressed in Christchurch.

*• Now, on I,ho occtufoii of a liu.rried visit by Dr Tillyard to Now Zealand. I'ainieis are ii'ealeit to a colmmi oatennil ly in connection wiLli a bonus wInV: (lie Gm eminent offered in conned ion uiih (bo eradication oi blackberry. Tin* sail bonus bus clwass been a joke. || has been freely rumoured that the lr; niei' of (lie conditions ul Liu* homesl.ii ied lhal if would lie:or be claimed, and a perusal of (be conditions lends mere than colour to Ice rumour. Air. Mil.n who discovered a specific lor tin eiM.dieatiou c ! ! blackberry which won < stand i!ie lesls laid down, and was I re pared In sell it lor the munificent e.iw ul PKI.'.OO. would be a I'll suhjelor a lunalii- asylum. Stub a reined' would be (heap to New Zealand a ball' a million. 1 Regard iny; the Departmental experiments, these ay.iiin have been a jok to practical men. I venture to sn.v that no one settler in fifty, even withii if radius of ten miles of the Government experimental plots, knows where (hey are located. I question if the Governiiieut ilsell, with its inimmei aide inspectors and Depart mental off; ceis, and with money provided by t'< Ni le !'• • r spraviny.s. lias sueco“(!od in eti'eeiually clearing one acre of Ida k berry. Yet the .Minister says that «*rsTirnvs. if used continuously, would ervdie'xte this great weed. Settlers in various parts of the Dominion wlm have spent thousands of pounds in keeping 1 lie blackberry pest in’check, if unfortunate enough to be located alongside n block of Maori lend having more than ton owners, have bad the satisfaction of seeing all their work undone. Blackberry on such nut-ve-owr.es! land can grow ten feet high, and seed the country, and yet no penc-il,-i| attempt has been made by the Government, to bring such owners un dor control.

; The Minister of Agriculture, m ; statement which lias-evidently b<? *u prepared for'him. talks dispa ragi ig!> ol biological control, as if such control was ii lhe .experimental state. 'J be Hawaiian Islands to-day would not oe pi i during millions of per mis’ worth o ! pineapples and other fruit it it " ! ‘ie not for the absolute control of the fan tana weed bv insects imported Icon .Mexico. However, such Government apathy is not new. Australian otic inis of similar calibre objected 10-t’ e imr - daction of insects to control the prirciv pear in Queensland, ‘and it was oily when such insects were accident nil v liberated, and began to get a grip on the pest, that Government approval was obtained.

"'l'lie Minister’s message to farmers fighting with black-berry is, 'Keep your hju-ks bent- ami sweat: you will have tlie privilege of contributing to the salaries of a large number off CJovernment inspectors and officials, and eventually to pensions for them, but we cannot offer you any hope that tin efforts of such officials will he of tin slightest assitanee to you.’ H the .Minister really wishes to effectual I \ mark his term ol office by a real seiviee to New Zealand ” Air Jessep eoneluded, “be will concentrate on using the researches of science instead o' being swayed by Departmental officials whose views are a very sore subject among the men who have to fight thpest.”