The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1887.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2379, 8 October 1887, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1887.

Equ.tl ami exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

In tho absence of a workable Act for the prevention of the spread of the codlin moth it becomes all tbe more necessary for us as individuals to exert every effort and use every possible means to keep down this pest. The time, too, is close at band when the first work must be commenced, and will, indeed, be fully upon us in another week or ten days. It is much to be regretted that the supineness of some, theimpatienceof taxation on the part of others, and the unwillingness to allow official interference with what they consider private rights have left so large and important an industry as fruit-growing to the mercy of an enemy which has been slowly but steadily closing in upon us during the last two or three years. Parliament will soon be in session, and though a draft bill, containing the necessary provisions for meeting this insect pest, and which mot with a general acceptance, has been drawn up by a committee of the Waikato Horticultural Society and circulated largely both amongst kindred societies and throughout both Houses of the Legislature, it is to be feared that it will again meet the same neglect in the hurly-burly of party struggles that it has done on two previous occasions. Even if it were passed this session it would become law too late to affect the present fruit crops. As the. Act at present in force does not meet the requirements of the case, and is indeed practically inoperative,fruit-growers are thrown back upon their own individual resources.

The three principal of these, and the order in which they occur, are the destruction of the moths, the destruction of the grub as it is hatched.from the egg, and the capture and destruction of those grubs, which have escaped a well-directed spraying of the fruit, when in their pupa or chrysalis state. Now, any one who has made cider last season knows how necessary it was to keep the vessels covered which contained the reserve liquor used for tilling up the cask at the bung while the cider was working; that if this was not done they were tilled up with moths of all kinds. Where cider cannot be got for the purpose of trapping the moths, a spoonful of coal oil poured into a pan half full of water will answer the same purpose. So too will water sweetened with sugar and a dash of vinegar added to give it an aroma. Vessels containing this liquor should be placed upon boxes in various parts of the orchard from the time the sun leaves the horizon till morning. A better plan, however, is to hang a lantern to the boiiirh of an apple tree, set an old apple box on end underneath it, and place the pan of liquor on the top of the box. A few of these in a large orchard, and one or two only in small orchards of not over an acre in extent have been found to be most effective. Nothing can be simpler-, easier, or less expensive. The next in order of the operations to bo undertaken, we might say indeed simultaneously with the first referred to, is the spraying of the trees with Paris green or London purple. The former is the more generally recommended as being, especially the better qualities, of a more uniform strength than London purple, and can be obtained at the wholesale Auckland druggists for about Is per lb. Care is required in tho use of this emulsion, for an overdose will injure the trees. One pound of Paris green has been recommended for 200 gallons of water. It is best to use an emulsion of tho minimum strength that will destroy tho grub when hatched out, and to rely upon tho fineness of the spray, and the force used in diffusing the Paris green emulsion over every part of tho troo. The weight of tho Paris green will cause it to sink to tho bottom of the vessel, and it should bo kept in suspension by constantly working it up with the syringe. It has boon found that the addition of a little glucose or other mucilage mixed with tho water will help to prevent the Paris green from settling to the bottom. A garden' syringe with a fine spray will answer the purpose, but force pump syringes with patent nozzles can be procured, which send tho spray in a vapour, covering every portion of tho tree like a natural mist. These are, however, expensive and less easy to procure, so late in the day as now, than tho ordinary garden syringe. The application must be made as soon as the blossom commences to set, before tho apple is larger than a small pea, and while as yet it has not commenced to turn eye downward, for tho egg of the moth is laid in the calyx of the young apple as soon, or almost earlier than the blossom falls off. Apples, pears and quinces are subject to tho attack of the codlin moth, and ovon plums should come in for their share of tho dressing, as it is effectual against the attack of tiro curculio and other insect pests preying on tho plum. If space would allow us, we would refer to the modes used for tho destruction of the codlin moth in its pupa or chrysalis stage, but there is not the same need to refer now to this as to tho two first operations. In their case there is no time to be lost, especially by fruit growers who have made no

preparation in the way of providing themselves with tho necessary apparatus. Early flowering apples are already beginning to burst into bloom, and tho codlin moth will soon bo upon us.

In the absence of legislative enactments for tho suppression of this pest it might be well for orchardists to attempt a plan which, according to tho evidence taken before a committee of the Legislative Council in 1885, worked well in Michigan, as related in a letter from tho Department of Agriculture in that State to Mr F. Abbott of the Hobartown Botanical Gardens in Tasmania. The letter says, inter alia, “ As an instance of what concerted action can do I will cite the experience of the Peninsula Farmer’s Club of Grand’ Travers, Michigan. This club passed resolutions that all the orchards on the peninsula should be bandaged (for the destruction of the codlin moth later on in the season). In case the owners would not attend to it, the club bandaged the trees for them. The result was that, although before they began 75 per cent of their fruit was destroyed by the codlin moth, after three years trial only 5 per cent was lost in that way.” Individual action will do much, but combination sucli as referred to above would, in tbe absence of special legislature, be the next thing preferable. The individual combatting alone with the codlin moth will labour under great disadvantage if his immediate neighbours are not taking similar action simultaneously with him; and this it is which renders compulsory action by legislation so desirable. Those, therefore, who have the apparatus and the means should not grudge to help those of their immediate neighbours who have them not, in directing and assisting them in the more difficult matter of spraying with a solution of Paris green. The destruction of the moths by night is within the scope of any intelligent man, and no better plan than that of the Michigan Club could be adopted, later on, for the proper bandaging of the trees and destruction of the pupa.