WAR ON ESTS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10303, 12 January 1927, Page 5

WAR ON ESTS

DR. TILLYARD RETURNS TO

NEW ZEALAND INVESTIGATIONS IN! BRITAIN. INSECTS TO~OOMBAT THE BLACKBERRY. GENEROUS GRANT BY EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD. NELSON, Jah. 11. Dr. Tillyard, biologist of the Cawthron Institute, who has been on an extended visit to England, Europe and America in the interests of scientific research, returned to Nelson this morning. The result of his investigations has been embodied in a voluminous report which will be submitted to the acting-Prime Minister, but the main report is confidential and cannot he disclosed until released by the Minister. Dr. Tillyard, to-day, said that he was at liberty, however, to mention a few points connected with his tour abroad. At the request of the Prime Minister and the High Commissioner he extended his stay in England by an extra month to attend the Imperial Conference as New Zealand’s representative on the research committee. Dr. Tillyard was the only New Zealand representative on that committee.

His main investigations when abroad proceeded on various lines of entomological research in the shape, chiefly of enquiries into the possibilities of the biological control of blackberry and other noxious weeds. He had met with considerable success in discovering insects which attacked the blackberry more or iess efficiently and he was arranging for the introduction of these into New Zealand, under proper safeguards, of course, a question that must always he borne in mind regarding the insects referred to.

It very early became apparent to the investigator that such an enormous problem could not be attacked, with any* hope of solution, without large financial backing, so there was drawn tip and submitted to the Empire Marketing Board a scheme dealing with the question. The problem was of immense importune because other parts of the Empire were affected in a similar way to New Zealand. South Africa and Australia were experiencing similar difficulty in respect to growths akin to the noxious weeds of New Zealand. Those two countries had approved of and accepted a scheme put before them, and the final •result had been an offer by the Empire Marketing Board of the sum of £2OOO a year for five years, on condition that the New Zealand Government also gave £IOOO a year for five years, 'and the Cawthron Institute did the same. This would mean a grant of £4OOO a year for five years, or £20,000 in all. This offer, Dr. Tillyard further mentioned, was accepted by all concerned, the outcome being a good workable scheme for the thorough testing of the possibilities of the control of blackberry, gorse and other noxious weeds by means.of their insect enemies.

The scheme added the doctor, must be confined to insects, and fungoids must not be introduced on any account, as the risk in that connection of great damage being done was very serious.

AID FOR DETERIORATED PASTURES. Another scheme submitted to the Empire Marketing Board was in the nature of a suggestion of Empire research into the question of pasting efficiency. New Zealanders are familiar with the recent discussions in the matter of deteriorated pastures. This question, it was suggested, should be extended to this Dominion, and the Board agreed with the proposal. It offered £2OOO a year for two years on similar conditions to those outlined in connection with the noxious weeds research.

The details of both, schemes would require further working out. ENEMY TO THE: EARWIG.

Referring to the problem of the control of the earwig, Dr. Tillyard mentioned that considerable advance had been made in regard to this question. He had, however, brought back with him a large supply of the puparia of a parasitic fly which attacked the earwig, and he was hopeful of getting it acclimatised in New Zealand. A very interesting fact he discovered in England was that this parasitic fly had in its turn a secondary parasitic called the dibrncliys, a little moth that attacked the puparia. This moth was the parasite of the wax moth which did so much damage in beehives. It had, therefore, been decided that earwigs did the more good, and the dibrachys would have to. he kept out. ERADICATION OF . GORSE.

Dealing with the question of the eradication of gorse, Dr. Tillyard said he had obtained large supplies of an insect which almost entirely prevented 'gorse from seeding, and in England it was at present being successfully used in the solution of the problem. Work had also been done in connection with the eradication of other weeds, ragwort, St. John s wort (which was in particular very bad in Australia) and foxglove (which threatened to become a very poisonous weed in many parts of the Empire). MENACE OF THE CONVOLVULUS The eradication of the convolvulus had also been studied. It was the opinion of botanists that this plant was going to be one of the worst pests in the world during the next fifty years, and at present no satisfactory solution was in sight.

LACE WINGS FOR APHIS BLIGHT. Another large consignment of green lace wings specially treated for the control of aphis blight on various trees, had been brought out, and if it were possible to acclimatise them in New Zealand, Dr. Tillyard thought that a lot of good would accrue. Generally speaking, Dr. Tillyard affirmed that if the present line of modern research in connection with the eradication of weeds referred to were not successful, it would be a pretty bad look out because there seemed no other way of tackling the problem. Dr. Tillyard found the institutions in England working on similar lines to the Cawthron Institute. He noticed particularly that the Pothamsted experimental station at Haipenden, near London, had developed immensely during the past six years.—P.A.