THE MAORIS AND THE PEACH BLIGHT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2098, 17 December 1885, Page 2

THE MAORIS AND THE PEACH BLIGHT.

The gndnil disappearance of the peach in New Zealand, whore at one tune it flourished BMihoruitly, h-is fur tlie past I few years heen pti/xlini? the minds of fruitgrowers. N" one seems .tble to account for it, tin* (i him* iemiin->.i mysteiy, and even (iovf»rniii'Mit pi ifi'-ism^, wlio liave had all data pi iced at tin u disp.is.il. and who h.ivo hud eveiy »i«mii> of ax fit uning thetmth, have been unable t>i .we -nut fur it with any deprive <it crtniilv !"»> uu my it 11 in the climate which ye >r by ye u is gi iduilly becoming colder and l<>^ -aim-nous Others . attnbute it to a lll* a*e, the origin or nature of which c nimt be directly ac counted for, whilst oiheis place the tniaf<utunear the door uf vi.nu gi ib <»r insect the diniinntneiiesa of wh'ch tin defeated the efforts of the mici"ieopi-t. The phenomena—if such it can be called— has also excited the wonder mid attention of the M.ions who are at a 10-s to account for the disappearance of their favomite fruit upon sUiieh in former years they 90 largely relied. They incline toattnbnte it to the change which the climate has undergone, and for \ciy pood loa-ons. Sunult menus with the falling off in the peach crop, the beiries of the unro, nutai, kalnkatea and 1111 m which at one Lime wet o a source of food t» the Maw is, began to disanpeai. The tioes gradually ceased to bear, and with very ch^astious results so far as the ornithology of tho conntiv is concerned Tho berries of the 111110 weie the stiplo food of the tin, puo-in, wild pairot, bellhiid, or kormiako and other-j, and since the tiues lia\o ld i-od to heir, thoaebuds ha\e bcumin rem.irkably scarce throughout the umintiy. The kornnako, in fact, has disippeaied altogether, and its disappearance can only bo attubiited to this cause. The Alaoiis ueio at a loss to Account for the falling off in tho bony crop, which inteifered so gieatly with then food supply ; and thih 11.itnt.1Hy gave i>lay to tho t.ih'nts of the prophets. These gjntloiuen attiibuted it to the Maoris having deserted the faith of thoir fatlier.s, for that of tho Euiopeans, Pro\ ii]i>nco sending the blight as iv piinisliiiienl for their wickedness. lint whon tho peach began to decay they concluded that the cause must bo other than the derteitjoij of their faith, «vs Mich a cause oould not affect the peach, which was an exotic, and therofoio belonged to the pikeha. Judging fiom these facts, we think it ia quite safe to nttnbnto the peach blight to climatic uiiluence, to counteract the effects of wluah we niubt Hooner or later turn our attention.

The speu il attention of W.ukato people is clir<-< (ed tn the Christmas idiertisement of Mr I I renheellir, Hamilton, which will be tounci in another column. A SroLDivo Womav — The barbarities of the (lucking itool for tlio cure of scolding womrn, thoiip;! 1 abolished by law, are now oftentimes practised by .1 kind of social barbarity none the irss reprehensible Women scoIJ only when they iiro ill Instead of bl.imini,' them we should proscribe Am Co's Hop Bitters. Ihe entire V stem will undergo a cental, pleasant change* llu> nerves will be quieted and acerbity ofword and thought will give place to amiability and affeiti'm. Healthy women do not icold or fret, Kea 4.