FIREBLIGHT MENACE

Wairarapa Age, 25 February 1927, Page 5

FIREBLIGHT MENACE

APPEAL BY ORCHARDISTS. i NEEDED MEASURES OF CONTROL. SYMPATHETIC REPLY'. “Fireblight has broken out in Masterton. It is in a very bad state in one orchard. We want the assistance of the Farmers’ Union in having Masterton declared a fruit-growing area.” The foregoing appeal was made by Mr. E. M. Bannister in introducing a deputation from the Wairarapa Fruitgrowers’ Association to the Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union at its Meeting yesterday.

Mr. Bannister explained that in such circumstances as had arisen in Masterton, orchardists had to apply to the Orchards Division to have the area declared. The application would be forwarded to the Agricultural Department and Dr. Reakes would refer it to the Farmers’ Union of the district, asking that body for an expression of opinion. “We w T ant to make sure of our ground,” Mr. Bannister continued. “If the Farmers’ Union objects, we will have a hard job to get what we want. We are only asking for an area of three miles from the Post Office—practically the borough.” All the heads o* departments said, Mr. Bannister went on to observe, that you could not grow fruit and hawthorn as well—one had to go. An orchard area haH'boen declared in Hawke’s Bay, and the > Hawke’s Bay A. and P. Association was setting a good example to the public by voluntarily pulling out all the hawthorn in its grounds. In reply to a question, Mr. Bannister said that there were two hundred registered orchards in the area is was proposed to declare, and over one thousand small orchards. A DESTRUCTIVE PEST. Mr. W. A. Tate said that fireblight' was the moat destructive element in our orchards at the present time. In one instance, at Tauranga, it had wiped cut an oi chard of pear trees occupying fifteen acres. It had spread to New Plymouth and Hawke’s Bay, jumping over a big area of bush, and now they had it at the Hutt and Greytown and here in Masterton. Hawthorn, the host of fireblight, and orchards could no»t -exist together. Growers in this country had been advised to stick to pears because in the United States pears were being wiped out by fireblight. It was when the hawthorn blossomed, Mr Jate added, that bees carried the inwetion of fireblight far and wide. Appealing for the sympathy of the Farmers’ Union, Mr. Tate said that an orichardist spent £lO a year per acre more than any farmer. Orchards were a very big item to the country. Dr. Tillyard, a world authority on such questions, had said that it was absolutely certain that fireblight would cross the Straits and invade th*e Nelson district, the great apple-growing area of the Dominion. Mr. Colman: “Is hawthorn the only carrier?” Mr. Tate: “Hawthorn is the carrier.”

In reply to Mr. Nevins, Mr. Tate said that fireblight affected apple trees but not so badly as it did pears. He was very sorry to hear that the pest had appeared in Masterton in more than one orchard. Fireblight’ did not affect stone fruits, but it attacked all pip fruits. The stricken limb of a tree looked dead and exuded gum. PLANTED BY OLD SETTLERS. Mr Bannister said that affected trees looked as though they had been scorchedA The gum was a source of infection. It attracted bees and birds. Mr Bannister added that there was very little hawthorn outside of the threemile radius from Masterton except at Penrose. What there was was chiefljr on the Upper Plain, planted there by old settlers who wanted to make their farms homelike. The hedges were now in a neglected state and some of them were encroaching as much as eight feet on the roads. Mr. Tate said that the Wairarapa had a great future as a fruit-growing district. At present it produced fruit that was second to none in New Zealand, and from the point of view of marketing it was favoured by its central situation. Apart from the Wellington and other markets, they wUre already supplying Auckland with large quantities of fruit. They would supply it with twenty times as much—if they did not get fireblight. Another member of the deputation (Mr. J. H. Kidd) said that fireblight had broken out in his orchard at Greytoy twenty years ago. It had been dealt with energetically and had not recurred. Mr. A. Haigh said that years agomillions of hawthorn trees used to he Fold, but now nurservnien did not sell a single tree.

SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE. Mr. Jackson said that he and other members of his executive were glad to have heard the representations of the deputation. The Farmers’ Union had the welfare of all branches of farming at heart. They recognised that preblight was a very serious menace and that something should be done to rape with it in this district. The representations made would be considered and the decision reached bv the executive k would be made known to the deputaV tion. In the course of discussion it was suggested that it might be advisable to fae owners of hawthorn hedges an opportunity of stating their case. Ultimately, the following resolution was passed: “That the executive sympathises with the views of the deputation in regard to taking precautions against fireblight, and will await their further action in the matter.”