FIREBLIGHT MENACE

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 78, 4 May 1929, Page 8

FIREBLIGHT MENACE

BREYENTING ITS SPREAD. A T1MELY WARN1NG. The following papor on "Tlie Fire • Blight Menace," Ksued by Mr .1. A. ; Campbell, Director of the Horticultural Division of tlie Department of Agricul- : ture, has been given to tlie Daily Tclegrapli bv .Mr N. J. Adnmson: Orchard limtructor of Hastings: — | "Wlienever stiitablc ojiportunity has ofi'ored during tlie pa^t two or tliree years 1 liavc given fruitgrowers to uiiderstaiul tliat firebliglit \yuild evcntually have to 1kv dealt with by ihe department on practicallv tlie saine , lines as othcr disoases affecting orcliards, but inucli more st ringent lv, owing to tlie disastroiis offects ncglect on tlie part ot any l'ruitgrowcr niight liave witli respect to the wliole district. There is a tendency to loolt to ihe de- j partment to assuinc respoiisibility lor the suppression of an outbroak. and in | some measure blame tlie officials for ! any failure to suppress. whercas tlie ' blame could more equitably be laid on ' the careless orchardist. Individual ' elt'ort of growers i.s tlie key-uoto oi ■ control. and reccnt lcgislntion en- i ables tbeni to apply co-opeiative efi'ort i more lullv tlian was possible in the I past. t'onseqticntly, J propose to j briefly outline the course of pro- | cedure : — "With regard to firebliglit, cacli J season niay be deemed to commeiice j witli tlie blossoniing period of fruit ] trfces, and anv liold-over oanker dis- j CQvered at this timo regarded as a j canker from the previous season. While I the cutting out of infections that oc- , curred during the blossoniing timo, and later is liighlv dcsirable, aiul should he attendecl to as tlioroughly as eircumstances permit, tlie damage arising from sucli infections is iargelv confined to the particular orchard in which they exist. "Disease during this period is to a large extent spread by means of chewing insects, which, although they may carry the disease to a nearby orchard, largelY' operate and sjiread the disease wiihin tlie orchard where it originally existed. Tliis fact does not mean tliat reasonable work in cutting out infection should not be carriecl on, more particularly in view of tlie moral efi'ect tliat neglei't in this regard might have in tlie locality. Gonsequentlv the riglit to insist on tliis work being done, witliin reason, i.s not to be loregone. Where it is uot being carried out satisf'actorily recourse may be had to prosecution, but in the main compulsion in tlie fonn of prosecution ivill be deferred til] later, growers being given ' to understaiid that the control of firebliglit is their respoiisibility , while Governnient officials ojierate more as inspectors to ascertam lioiv tlioroughly tliis is being done. and wlien tlie liecessit.v arises to take action. "Apart from wliat might he insisted iijjon hv tlie department in cutting out and cliecking disease during tlie Summer and early Autumn, a definite date should be fixecl after which tlie findmg of lield-ovcr cankeris in an orchard would mean prosecution. This date is fixed as July 31. By this date orcliardists will liave carried out tlie maj or portion of tlieir pruning, wliicli operation aff'ords an excellent opportunity for the searcli and removal of cankers. It is ]iliysically impossible for departniental officers to make a personal inspection of every tree and practicallv every limb of every tree in the locality. Tlie onl.v means of keeping a district free of firebliglit is tlie hope tliat growers will make this individual tree inspection and do tlie cutting out of cankers. By means of general inspection visits by Departniental officials, and more particular inspection where it is suspeeted that the grower has not been quite thorougli. the efforts of tlie careful orchardists will be safegliarded. "The foregoing in its entirety, oi course, can only be applied to tliose districts in which liawthorn hedges liave been removed or otherwise satisfaetorily attended to. In tliose districts in which firebliglit is present, and no fruit areas have been declared, the disease will he mninly dealt with as an ordinarv orchard disease."