THE PHYLLOXERA PEST.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 452, 8 March 1890, Page 5

THE PHYLLOXERA PEST.

Mk Thomas Hardy, of Brooksido Vineyards, Adelaide, is one of the biggest growers of grapes and manufacturers of wines in Australia. He exports largely to England, and carried away the German gold medal at their National Exhibition. He may therefore be accepted as a good authority on the phylloxera question, and writing to Captain James, of Avondale, on the subject, he says : —“ Launceston, Tasmania, February 8, 1890. Your letter of 20th January has been sent on to me here, where we are at present on a visit. I am sorry to hear that you have phylloxera near you. as there is always the danger of it being carried from one place to another ; but I should think there ought to be no difficulty in dealing with it about Auckland. If it has only appeared in one place the chances are that it has not spread and that it was brought- to that place by importing vines from Europe. All that is necessary to be done is to dig out and burn all the vines in that garden or house to a depth of 2fb, and nob to plant any more vines in it, because the roots left in the ground will keep alive for 10 years, and the phylloxera will also live on them so long as they ke6p alive ; we have proved this at Geelong in Victoria. You will see by this that it would not be safe to plant again on or near the same ground. The idea of rooting up all the vines for 5 miles is absurd, and will nob be done again in Australia as it was at Geelong. In New South Wales they are destroying only the infected vineyards, and keeping a strict watch on all the adjoining ones. In all cases where vineyards are destroyed compensation i 3 paid, but sometimes it is very much less than it should be, and in others too much. If you have no Act passed to deal with it, your people should try and get one as soon as possible, and nob delay it as they did in New South Wales till the disease is spread to other places. If they had dealt with it when I wanted them to, three years ago, it could have been stamped out with very little expense. Now it will cost them no end of money, and what is worse, the increased danger of it being carried to other parts of the country. I have had a good deal to do with phylloxera, having been a member of the Victorian Commission to represent South Australia from its beginning, and have been sent by our Government to New South Wales to investigate and report on it there, so that I am in a position to give any advice that may be useful to you, and will be pleased to do so. Our prospects of a good vintage were never better, and our trade with England is yearly increasing. We hope scon to get all the duties removed between the colonies, and then you will be able to enjoy a glass of our good wine when you want to. I hope to be in New Zealand again this year, and will certainly call and see your vineyard,”