Fruit Pests.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 410, 12 October 1889, Page 3

Fruit Pests.

At the last meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers! Association, the Secretaryread the copy of a letter he had written to the Colonial Secretary, asking the Govern ment to avail themselves of the researches of scientific men in California, Victoria, and- Tasmania, re blight specifics, and to communicate with the Governments of those countries and endeavour to obtain the following — (1) Copies of bills dealing with fruit pests ; (2) printed evidence taken by Commissions ; (3) reports of scientific men, gardeners and fruitgrowers on ,the subject ; (4) remedies used ; and " (5) any other information obtainable. Mr A. E. G. Rhodes, M.H.R., had been written to and he had obtained in the House a promise from the Government that the information asked for would be obtained. The Secretary stated that the specimens, of apple branches infested with scale, submitted to the inspection of Mr R. W. Fereday and Professors Bickerton and Wilkinson had been cut from trees on August 9th and forwarded next day. The specimens had been dressed as under : — A on August 6th, with K,een's specific ; B on July 26th, with Redwood's specific ; C, not dressed ; D, dressed late m the autumn of 1888 with hog's lard. Professor Bickerton reported that the contents of the scales on the specimen marked A were perfectly healthy, the dreesing being altogether without effect. B, The liquid had penetrated to a very slight extent under some of the scales : a few eggs close to the ends had been destroyed, but the effect was altogether insignificant. C. Similar to B, but to a somewhat greater extent. The great majority of eggs, however, were quite uninjured. D. No trace'of injury: eggs perfectly healthy. The eggs on an apple branch examined at the same time, which had Deeh treated with a strong solution of caustic potash, did not seem to bo injured. He had examined Keen's blight specific, which contained a good deal of arsenic, and wa3 practically the same as the so-called- scrub exterminator, with the addition of sulphur. It would probably be very injurious to the trees unless very greatly diluted, as arsenic was Singularly fatal to plant, life. It would seem as if winter dressing, as far as destroying the eggs was concerned, was a failure, and that any action these specifics might have, was due to their remaining on the bark and so affecting it as to render it poisonous to the young scale insect. The application of an emulsion of soft soap and kerosene was recommended. Mr E. Wilkinson, of the School of Agriculture, Lincoln, reported at length upon similar specimens of apple cuttings. A. On the main stem most of the scales were empty. Of those filled with eggs the majority seemed unharmed. In some the eggs are brown, and apparently killed. On the whole, perhaps, 20 per cent, seemed destroyed there, while on the younger wood a large majority seemed unharmed. The sample was much darkened in colour. In B, Cj and D, there were practically no results ; the apple scale and red spider eggs seemed thoroughly healthy. Mr R. W. Fereday reported that in A a few patches of scale at the thick end of the twig were partially destroyed; the rest unaffected, especially where scattered on the cleaner bark ; B, similar results ; C, none destroyed ; D, destroyed in patches where most whitish. The following i-esolution was passed — " That this Committee having read and considered the reports of Professors Bickerton and, Wilkinson, and Mr Fereday, on the specimens of trees treated with 1 Redwood's and Keen's specifics, are of opinion that neither remedy has proved of any value so far. As regards the effect of the treatment in poisoning the bark, and thus exterminating the young insects, the Committee as yet have not the means of judging, but will report thereon at a future meeting.'' A general conversation followed, and Professor Bickerton said that he had always had good yields from his peach trees, the system of pruning which he had adopted being to cut a large limb off the trees in- | stead of pruning the young wood, as he found that the fruit was grown on the second growth instead of on the first as in the Old Country. I may say that great numbers of apple trees in the Ashburton district have been dressed with Keen's specific, and a good many with one or other of Brooke'f? preparations, and the applications appear to have been generally efficacious. (Canterbury Correspondent New Zealand Fakiukr.)

"It's never too late to mend. This ia probably why so many people postpone mending indefinitely. It has been observed that the man who has the fewest failings is the most tolerant of those of his neighbours.