The Farm.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 445, 12 February 1890, Page 3

The Farm.

(From the New Zealand Farmer.) The Phylloxera Scare. We have avoided comment upon the discovery of Phylloxera vastatrix in two Auckland vineries until we had before us some official pronouncement, upon expert authority,that beyond all doubt the dreaded pest had obtained a footing here. Mr T. IT. Cheeseman, the courteous and painstaking custodian of the Auckland Museum, had expressed his opinion that the lice found by Mr Scott, of Mount Eden, were the true phylloxera, and he was not likely to be wrong. We now have the report furnished to the Government by Mr W. M. Maskell, to whom the question of the identity of the insects was officially referred, and he confirms Mr Cheeseman’s judgment and pronounces the vine roots sent to him for examination to be infested by this terrible scourge of the grape vine. This report will be found printed in another column of this issue.

Mr Maskell very rightly advises drastic measures to stamp out the evil. We presume that when Mr Maskell says that “ nothing short of thorough destruction of all vines in the whole district of Auckland and suburbs will be sufficient,” he means to advocate the total destruction of vines growing within a certain radius of the city. To destroy every vine in the provincial district of Auckland would be a practical impossibility, even if the people would submit to such a sacrifice, which is not at all likely. Grape vines are growing wild all over the country, at old mission stations and deserted Maori settlements and elsewhere, and unless all these could be sought out and destroyed there wouid be little object in merely getting rid of the vines growing in gardens and vine-houses, Doubtless it is not intended to propose any such thing, but we think that strenuous efforts should be made to extirpate, root and branch, first the infested vines at Mount Eden and all vines within a radius of, say three miles of the infected vineries. We say this, not because surrounding vineries may contain vines procured from the same source as Mr Scott’s and Mr Bridgman’s, for on that ground vineries all over the North Island might be destroyed. The reason which inclines us to support Mr Maskell’s proposal is that it has been found almost impossible to thoroughly clear ground, in which phyl-loxera-infested vines have been growing, of the insects. It is not considered safe to replant vines in infected localities for several years after the destruction of the original plants. It is therefore clear that lice in the winged form might make their way out of the infected ground and effect a lodgment upon neighbouring vines, if any were left to receive them, and thus cause fresh centres of infection. It may be that in the winged form the lice might be carried by wind further than three miles, but we scarcely think that is likely, although it is a point to be considered. This destruction of vines within a certain radius would have to be supplemented, in our opinion, by a rigid inspection of vineries throughout the provincial district at whatever would be the most likely period, in the opinion of experts, for the attacks of the winged insect to show upon the leaves of the vines. Wherever infected vines were found the vines should be rooted up. There are grounds for hoping that the evil has not yet got beyond the stage when rigorous repressive measures applied at once may succeed in stamping out the pest. It would be necessary to so manage affairs that the vine owners would cordially cooperate in the measures deemed necessary to eradicate the evil for it will be some months ere any Act of Parliament can be passed to make such measures compulsory. The matter therefore calls for the exercise of much tact to avoid arousing the opposition of interested parties. Still we should hope that the nature of the evil is sufficiently serious to induce anyone with the slightest public spirit to do their best to aid the Government in their endeavours to clear the country of such a scourge. The expenditure of a certain amount of public money cannot be avoided in this case, but the more promptly the evil is grappled with now, and the more thorough the measures which are adopted, the less loss it will entail on the community in the end. We cannot conclude these remarks without expressing our opinion that it is the duty of the Government to find out, if possible, whether vine cuttings from Australia or America have been imported here contrary to the Act prohibiting such importation. It i 3 currently reported that certain persons have been guilty of thus breaking the law. If such a charge can be sheeted home to anyone, we do not hesitate to say that no personal favour should shield him or them from severe punishment.