THE CODLIN MOTH.

Waikato Times, Volume 2188, Issue XXVII, 17 July 1886, Page 3

THE CO DLIN MOTH.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — It decidedly shows an improvement in our legislative powers that th^y !->eom disposed to take advice in fi nit-growing matters from those interested in the trade, and it is to be hoped that we will now have a workable Act to relieve us from the ravages of the Codlin Moth, which will be a public benefit, without involving the ruin of private individual*, as might indeed be the case should the ad \ ice of some persons without the necessary knowledge or experience be listened to. I see your notice (in Ist July is^e) of Mr Hollis' (of the Thames) views on the question. It is unnecessary to state that Mr Hollis is not the owner of an orchard, nor apparently much of an entomologist. If all the blossoms on apple and pear trees were to be destroyed for oue or two years, it would simply mean that all those who earn their bread by growing those fruits would be without it for that time. If they possessed only three apple trees in a rented garden, and a good salary, they might get on very well, but if they had a large orchard that required all their own and hired labour to keep free of other yesta as well as the moth, and in healthy order, I do not see how they would get along, not even with the help of having to pay special taxation, and it would not encourage them much to think that if they perchance left a little blossom, •n- if some came after they had done, they were not only to be " substantially" fined, but have the offending tree cut down as well. Nor would these hostile measures answer any good purpose, because it docs not take an entomologist to know that the moth deprived of apples and peais, will, and does now, live on other fruit. I have now in my mind three orchards infected with the moth. One is a very old one of 50 years' standing, and some 700 trees. These gioat trees measure (many of them) 30 yards round the branches. Most of them are covered with the excrescences of the American blight, and possess hiding places for countless larva;. The orchard lias for very many year.-, swarmed with moth 1 -, and supplied the whole country, and up to the present day no steps whatever hu\e been taken even to check them. Tire fruit of mo->t of the trees is of ai >\'&r-y inferior kind, and they are not worth the expense of cleaning, if indeed it is possible. The second orchard is an isolated one, no other being within ten miles of it. It consists of about (500 fine young ten -year-old trees of the best varieties, all carefully tended and kept clean, but last year, owing to some fruit being brought from the fiist named orchard, there were some 20 or 25 apples affected. The third c;ise is that of an orchard next to infected ones, where the moth is neglected. This oichardist is dependant on his fruit for his daily bread ; he woiks oaily and late, and spares neither labour, skill nor money, and pioduccs enormous crops of such apples as are rarely surpassed, but in spite of all his efforts his neighbours supply him with a few moths, and evciy year he lo^-es a very small peiceulagc of his fruit. Now Mr Hollis would save all trouble and discussion by serving all these three alike, and simply destroying both good and bad without the slightest regard to right or wrong. lam sure that it is to be hoped that he does not keep his account on the same principle. Where the trees are very old and hiding places are so very abundant and difficult to get at, it wiil always be difficult to get at the insect, but where the trees are young and the bark smooth there will not be much difficulty. The pregnant moth lives only a few days, and will not travel far either to lay its eggs or be caught in a light. She lays each egg m or near the eye of each apple, and if the young apples are sprayed with a weak solution of arsenic (ono pound to ten gallons of water) the lava will bo poisoned as soon as it begins to oat. Bandages and traps round the stems of the trees to entrap the lame and picking u ( > fallen fruit are the best remedies ; lamps sweetened cans are not of much use. In cases such as the fir.st orchard debcribed it mi"ht be well to smear the baik with black oil^just about the time the moth comes out, which would destroy a great many of them, and keep the syringe going.— l am, yours faithfully, ' KOUATA.