Department Of Agriculture Is Report On Its Activities Concerning Disease

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14898, 9 February 1949, Page 3

Department Of Agriculture Is Report On Its Activities Concerning Disease

| Citrus Canker

0 notice of motion carried by growers : NU at MEETING IN TAURANGA | r the result of a resolution carried at the quarterly gen- , me eting’ of the Bay of Plenty Citrus Growers’ Association • Tauranga last evening; the Department of Agriculture is be asked to give a detailed report on its activities to l'ruinate and find the composition of citrus canker, and what e 1 are being taken to prevent the spread of this disease other Lan the destroying of trees. 5 Speaking to his notice of motion, Mr J. L. Tennent inted out that some time ago he had been informed that at P® present time in the United States citrus canker was being treated as an ordinary orchard disease and that the trees were nnt. destroyed.

i Mr Tennent added tnat the piesi dent of the association (Mi N Gibd n had communicated with an authority in the United States on question and had received a KPty which was contrary to what F ,’thought mvght be the cusg. The SS 6 in California had replied fuM he had no knowledge ot citrus AA,. being treated as an ordinary can wH disease and that the same LTem as ?n New Zealand applied y th . United States—the destrucRon of canker-infested trees, 1 it was mentioned, continued Mr Lnnent. that by spraying in the LX stages with ordinary bordeaux K u e V was found that citrus Enker was kept under control, i Mr Tennent stated that all growL w ere aware that citrus canker Las a serious problem, but/ pointed fut that he had his own views on Ring with the disease, and he did hot see “eye to eye" with the departLent. | when moving that the question AN stage be discussed in comLit « Mr G. T. Burbery stated uLt factual evidence about citrus bnker throughout the world disbecMte hews held by Mr Ten|en t. The motion lapsed lor the

i j want of a seconder, and the discusi sion continued in open meeting. I “I am still of the view that citrus | canker is a controllable disease," I stated Mr Tennent, who added that ! he knew of no orchard destroyed iby citrus canker. Mr Tennent conI sidered that he was within his rights i in asking what steps the departi ment was taking to destroy the j disease other than the destruction of trees. j Mr Burbery, in seconding Mr Tenj nent’s notice of motion, reminded j the meeting that an authority in j New Zealand who had conducted I research into plant diseases had ; offered to attend a meeting of j growers and discuss all details of I citrus canker. Mr Gibson told the meeting that j in response to inquiries he had been j informed by a professor of pathology 'at a U.S. experimental farm that he knew of no oilier method in dealing with citrus canker than j complete eradication. There was. however, evidence which seemed to justify the idea of spraying bordeaux with an excess of lime during the early (stages, and this was becoming a general practice in America.