Peach Blight.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 32, 6 July 1885, Page 4

Peach Blight.

The following lettei on the subject of the-ppaclV Wight appears in the Auckland Star : — Siij— ln the papers I see lots, of notices abbiit ;I?i?ofesf.or Kirks commission re peach blight in tlie Waikato and other parts, amli'T think it complete folly on the part | of. the Ministry or whoever authorised this inquiry, this "cold tea'' way of assisting'the country, I^'call it "focjl- , ing," to trot Professeoj -Kirk^Tourifl 'at tins time of the year when there,, is nothing but; bare Wigs to' lie seen,' and not nwny of those. Every settler in the Waikato can bear testimoijy that the tvees are dead,. or.hajf dead arid no fruit, and all of yonr correspondents have been lamenting the loss, and describing ;; . the blight fqr three or four years. Tf the Government wish to assißt, which it is their duty to do, let them depute somo scientist to reside here, and let hinl have the most powerful, microscope obtainable, and thus be on;, tlie spot when the disease appears in the spring, to thoroughly examine trees and affected branches and try experi4 ments for care (we know the disease^ we want the cure). I will willingly, place one or twenty trees of different ages at the disposal of theQ-overmenfc to experiment; upon- — live trees that have been failing for several year.n— or forward branches for examination,! Looking for the disease now is very.; much like, looking for . the ; cause of death on a skeleton .that had succumbed to small-pox 20 years of ago. ■ i