BLIGHT ON FRUIT TREES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1926, 8 November 1884, Page 4

BLIGHT ON FRUIT TREES.

RBPORT OF TflE NKLSOX COAIMITTEE. Sovk few months ago a committee was appointed in Nelson to make enquiries regaining the various bliglits which have pro\ed so destructive to fruit and othei trees and plants in the Nelson distiict. The committee has tiken the evidence of several qentlenvn interested in the matter, and the following report has been handed to the Mail for publication :—: — The committee having cii ciliated questions on various kinds on blight, specifying codlin moth, scaly blight, acacia blight, pine blight, and other blights, tlie committee received answers fiom not moi e than six paities — Mcssts Wiesenhivem, Newman, Rout (Stoke), Hale (Waimea road), Slieather, and Lowe, but as all of these were directly interested in the mattei their evidence is of more than usual value, being practical and experimental, not speculative or theorotical. The fiist on the list was the Codlin Moth, and tho questions on it were as follows, with the answers so far as they wore given : — 1. When did you first notice its appearance ? Mr L\ M Lowe : Codlin Moth, well known to fruit growets in England. I iirst observed it in Nelson in 187 S. Mr John Hale : I have observed it for tho last si\ years. Mr J. H. Newman : As soon as I came, a year ago. 2. In what forms or stages have you seen it ? Mr Lowe : Deposits its e</gs on any part of the apple or pear, when tho fruit is about the M/e of a marble. Begins to bore into the fmifc in its pupa state until it reaches the eoie. It then letiies, and suspends itself from a thread until it reaches a place of concealment, either in the baik or just under the surface at the bole of the tree, where it remains unless disturbed until the following spiing. Mi Hale : I have noticed it in the state of the moth, maggot, and chrysalis, on apple tiees and quince, m and about Kelson, up to Wakefi-ld. I knew such f oi nr to be seen as the maggot in the uppK up to tin 1 middle ot Jamuuy and ri'l'.i, now. It remains in maggot state till "jWing, dining October, November, December, and January, hatching, and goes straightway into the moth. Mr Wiesenhnvein .In answer to this and the question as to the bestiemedy. the following answer is given: — Cddmv Moth [Tuilui I'omonann.) This beautiful little daik moth with many Mawng cioss stupes on its upper wings, and a laiire bion/e shining spot on eacli end of them, is difiicult to catch, as conceals itself dm ing the day, and mo\es only at night to deposit its 2.")0 or ,SOO egys on the h,ilf giown fuuts. The s'nall maggot eats into the trnit, causes lttonpcn piematuicly and to fall, and in this way destioys in many cases moie than half, oi the whole of the ciop. The habit of this Kiub to lea\e, aftei matuiity, the fi ml— mostly at night by its own tin cad —and to tcasceud tho lice for the pin pose ot wintcuiiy in cic\ices of the stem and lower blanches, has given a great help to combat its i.i\age&. The usual remedy to catch tho moth by large lanterns, Limps or e\en by the windows of hot houses, picpaied for the pin pose, hu\e done some good. Wiappmg hay, stiaw, or lags round the ticcs to inteicept tiio giub have been piactised in Ameuca with moie or less good re suits. It wa> thiough Piotossor C. "Booker of the Girls' College m Juteibog, near Potsdam, nlio foi yeai-5 made a study of the most deitiuctn c insects of the orchaid, that pipei bands weie fust introduced. He tound these bands offeied a moie convenient retreat and a peifect tiap for the mmiiots and other insects. To make donblj sine th't no insect should pass the band, hedisco\eied an excellent slicky m.ittoi — Biamutu Leim — wliich is now generally used on the Continent. This '• l.eiiu,'' howe\er, is lather e\pensi\e foi laige plantations (it costs twomaiks pu lb — two shillings — at Homo, Piinteis' ink, oi a mixtuie of tar and tiain oil, will perhaps answer the same puipose, if renewed horn time to tune The bands, about biK or eight inches wide, aic of coarse biown w lapping paper. To ie&ist the influence ot lain, and to pievent their absoibint,' too much of the stic!c\ matter, they aie fir-t painted over Mith thin glue, and in ("Ins way will last a long tiin<>. Thcpipei line's aic bent o\er a little afc the lower end to piesent the tar fiom miming down the stem, and fastened lound the tiees a few feet abo\e the «iound, <is the gmb likes to go up as high as possible. The fastening must be done at the upper side of the band bv a, stun^ in such a nnnner that Hi" lower pai t is mu'lk n ntly open to ,d'"w the in «'« ts to uavl u'ider The stick y niiltei i, then put lonnd tho un^ ]ii>t Wow t'u s'liiiLf, and it tho bind lv- t<) the '>". n ' ios<^ as its upper put, which is 111" I'!. tin consideration, no i. wet will be abU to <:> t up the tiee. The lni'ds inn 1 1 be opuie.l fiom tune to time and put on a-_M'ii, aftei tho giub-,, etc. E>K killed, '• i" 'i ,\li cither under the lin^oi fa si' 'n d on the Micky matter outside 0 eomv thi* tai oi piinteis' ink mn -it I)p l.Mif w c<l isoffui i-> neees^iiy to iii«'\ ut the insects ciaw ling o\ er the l«.p ;• 'lh> in) I ,', must h", put on Ihe apple i' ;>1 luis, peais, and ([unices 111<i>' i'l i' ii' ■ ssaiy — ,1-5 soon as tlie fi nit 1 lomud, and left on the tiees till the cioj) i- gatheietl. He ide thio il will be necessaiy to collect all worm eaten fruit, and de-ilioy the maggots. All shoots, high glass, oi any thing by which tlie giubs may leach the tiee above tlie ring, must be iemo\ cd. Old tiees haiboi a multitude of insects under their rough 1 aik. This baik should be sciaped, the set apings eire fully collected and burnt, and the liees and bigyer blanches washed with sott soap and watei or lime. Tlie greatest danger consists m sending old used bo\cs to theoichaids The gi übs aic imbedded in nooks and coincis of the ))o.\es, and bi ought in this way all o\er the couutrv. The little moth itself is not able to fly veiy fai. Mr Hale consideicd (in Apiil, 1 8S t) the blight is mcicising, but lias no doubt the band is the best icincdy, and is successful in his own case. It ij to be plarcd lound the tiee about a Lift below the lowest limb Lamps lighted in saucers of keioscue may be used uith ad\antage in the piopii season to attiact tlie moths. The cia^ks and baik of indi\idu.il tv os aNo should be examined for tho mipgnL Tlio ,ilyo\< n tin mi. v have been tiied ii' c jfulit. II i i, ,1 o Itidasib \\a i t. On Uiu v, liolc tiiu visitation tends to gi e^tcr caie of the trees and so to a gi eater ciop. As to die co t for heating 2000 trees, this is a soifc of e&tnnate : Say 7s for papei, and twine .3^ ; two men a day and it half each. When lamps aie used in the moth season, 52 lamps, a quoit of kerosene per night, but no good o.i moonlight nuihts At iii&fc paid 10s a week for liimming and lighting, now done by themselves, taking two hours each night to turn and light them. As to the bauds-, has known 80 taken out of a band ot an old tree. Mr Lowe: In answer to the question as to best remedy, " Have tried various remedies, and consider the follow ing the best : — As soon as the leaf is oil' the ttoe well sy lingo with a solution of caustic soda, and follow up with three or four applications of alkaline salt in the fruiting season, and the result will be clean crops. 1 ' Mr £out (Stoke) • The Codlin Moth has been very destructive; to the fruit in an old orchard mine, and in order to destroy some of the eggs and larvm last whiter l I scraped the bark off the trunks of the trees most affected and dressed the same with some fresh lime slaked "with 'ciitfmber' lye, used ,wjnle Nvarm, which I found very effective in killing the ? eggs "and" larvte, many thousands' being destroyed, added to which those .that fall to the grMuul were incorporated into some gas lime &|>iead round the tree

stems, and afterwards dug into the soil. The expense was small, and I think the remedy effectual as far as it went. Question - Do you advocate legal compulsion in reference to any of the above i remedies ? ! Mr Hale : Compulsion should he used to compel the use of bands. The duty of using these should be advertised once a year, and all bands be on and looked after by the police within a week, to be opened every fifteenth day. There is no necessity to make any new department. Mr Lowe : The question of legal compulsion is too deep for me to express an opinion upon. I consider it requires a gieat deal of discussion. I believe tlie blights are diminishing where they are attacked in a manner I have desciibcd. Question— What is yonr practical opinion as to the value in this respect of small biids ? Mr Wiesenhavern : In Germany as woll as in France the protection of small birds is under the .special care of the the Government. Besides heavy fines theie are the standing rules that the children in the State schools are reminded not to interfere with the nests and eggs of the birds. In both counti ies the gieat number of birds are considered to be far moie beneficial to the crop than otherw is>e. Mr Newman : Having lived in the neighboiuhood of Epping Forest, London, for over twelve years, I had opportunities of watching the effect of the destiuction of small birds, which at one time was carried on to a large extent. As the birds were destroyed, the blight of vaiious kinds increased to an alarming state, and was so noticeable that a small measure was hurried through Pai liament called the Small Birds Preservation Act, and heavy fines were to he imposed on those destroying birds at ceitain seasons, a which Avas working with good effect sometime before I left England. My decided opinion is that we need a much greater variety of small birds (with fewer sparrows) with some of a larger growth sneh as the rook and sparrow hawk. The small biids will not only enliven our fields and hedges with their * various songs, but would well pay their footing by feeding on the different varieties of insects and grubs that infect our fields and gai dens. As cultivation of gardens and agucnltuie in its \arious forms extend, this important matter will have to be decided on to lestore the balance of natuie. Mr Lowe : I think the martin and the swallow as insoctivotous biids are invaluable, and advocate their introduction. Mr Hale : I think birds are not of much use tor this blight. Biids are at lest when the moth is Hying about, and will not hunt for moths while corn is ica.ly foi thorn ( fn be lontinutiJ )

Tin, Times took a. fnvomable view of the Maoii embassy to Knuland. Of the Maoii Kin^r it <-ayb : — " Tawhaio, with his dignified .silent ways, has made fi icnds hcie. He is no more giotes(|ue say ige as Cetewayo was. He has .1 story to tell, a ical case to state ; and if English sympathy can secure him a hearing when he returns home, he will not fail to yet it." IIkMARKAIJH. EsCAPi: I'KOM BIUrSANDS. — The circumstances under which the son of Consul Dussi, recently captured by biiuands r.ear Rodosto, was libeiuted without paying a laiuom, are related as follows by the Vienna correspond put of the Daily Telegraph : — The brigands were surrounded by a, detachment of ti oops under orders not to attack until the young men should be in safety. Meanwhile, the brigands had run short of piousions, especially ot wine. M. Dussi, their captive, suggested that he should be allowed to wiitc to his father to send a few bottles, whiih was readily assented to. M. Lussi accoidially wrote the letter ; but as none of the band could read, he proposed that a naicotie should be mixed with the wine, and that a sum of dOO and a free paidon should be promised to the messenger if he assisted him to escape. The plan was carried out. When the wine armed the bngands eageily partook of it, and weie stupefied by the effects of the naicotie it contained. M. Du&si and his guide weie thus enabled to get away and to reach the neaiest village occupied by the gendarmes. The brigands weie then easily taken pnsoueis by the troops, under the command of Generil Mehemet Pasha. The member ot the band w hocontiibuted to M. Dusk's escape has received the £300 promised to hi n, ana will not be in any way molested by the authonties. CaPTUV BaKKY AND THE M\OHI Ki\(.. — A .Sydney paper says :—: — Tawhaio, the Maoii Ung, was met here by his old New Zealand acquaintance, Ciptain William Jackson Ban y, in company with Mr J. A. Mansell, of bibliofitaphioal lenown, and Mr Quong Tart. The King and his chiefs insisted upon Captain Bany and his friends dining with them <ifc the Coflee Palace, wheie .1 li\ely conversation ensued between the Captain and Tawhiao, in reference to his lccent tup to London. The King laughed heaitily at the captain's jokes on Maoiiland, where the explorer once ■stood god-fjther to a son of the great wanior chief To Ake, and chiistuned him William Jackson Te Ake. Tawhiao, who is to be photographed together with Captain Bauy, by Mr King, of Geoige stieet, is anxious that his old Mend should accompany him to his nati\e countiy wheie the Captain can sec his god son, and as the story book says, "h\e happy for the remainder of his da\&." The captain expiessed his regietthat the King should be suffering fiom a seveie attack of rheumatism and befoie the party sepaiated made a shoifc speech in tlie Maori language an 1 also tianslated it into Englisn. He said that it was a great pity that the King Country had not been opened yeais ago, and he hoped that the King would be the instigator of opening it on his return to New Zealand, as the cautain is ccitain that the country abounds with mineral wealth ; by this means the King can lease his lands, and thcicby receive a gieat levenue, and instead ot living in Maoii pahs, can reside in grand houses and drive his carnages like the lichest noblemen. The King shook hands all round, and after promising to remember the Captain's woids, the party broke up, Hop Bitters are the Purest and Best Bitters Ever Made, They are compounded from Hops, Malt, Buchu, Mandrake, and Daudeliou, — the oldest, best, and most valuable medicines 111 the world and contain all the best and most curative properties of all other remedies, being the greatest Blood Pmifier, Liver Regulator, and Life and Health Restoring Agent on earth. No disease or ill health can possibly long exist wheie these Bitters are used, so varied and perfect are their operations. They give new life and vigor to the aged and infirm. To all whose employments cause irregularity of the bowels or urinary organs, or who require an Appetizer, Tonic and mild Stimulant, Hop Bitters are invaluable, being highly curative, tonic and stimulating, without { intoxicating. No matter what your feelings or s\ mptoms are, what the disease or ailment is, use Hop Bitters. Don't wa,it until you are sick, but if you only feel bad or miserable, use Hop Bitters at once. It may save your life. Hundreds have been saved by so doing. £500 will be paid for a case they will not cure or help. Do not suffer or let your friends suffer, but UBe , and urge , tjhem to use Hop Bitters. l I ' Remember, Hop Bitters is no vile, drugged, drunken ' nostrum, but the Purest, fand^Best 1 - Me""diciri& eyet' triable ; 'Tthe " Invalid's FnendTarfd' Hope;"" alitf noperson or family $hpjsd be without theiii. Trythe Bitters to-day^ Gre£ at phemisjtf ' ' ''"' "' \" \