SAN JOSE SCALE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 236, 29 June 1908, Page 3

SAN JOSE SCALE.

- A. NELSON STATEMENT.DENIED. •••. In the farm column of The Dominion on Monday we referred to a statement of tho ■Nelson "Mail""that San Joso scale,'recently reported in Stoko orchards, had existed there for six years, and that formerly a high departmental officer had taken atfay infected twigs without following up with repressive measures..., Mr. Kirk, Government Biologist, says that ho v believes- the statement oi the " Mail" canuot be correct. The. present outbreak was discovered as a' result of Mr'. Blackmore, the Government Pomologist, finding scale-infested fruit on the market thi3 season. Ho. traced it to the orchards in question, • and steps were at unco taken to . deal ;with the outbreak. Sis years ago there'were no ' inspectors'and np Orchards Pests Act, and neither himself nor Mr. Blackmore, nor anybody else, to his knowledge, "knew of tho existenco of the scale in tho district or elsewhere until this season, nor had-they seen any twigs infested. If any -Nelson fruit-grower knew that San Joso scale fcxisted- thero six years ago, he did the industry a great wrong by not reporting it. Scale insects of several other specics, however, had existed in New Zealand-orchards for .some years past, and it was possible the statement of the "Mail" had resulted from a confusion. of theso species. Drastic measures were being taken to suppress the..present outbreak, and fruitgrowejs were co-operating. 'Mr. Boucher, Government Pomologist, who returned from the South on Saturday morning (says, an Auckland Press Association message),' was interviewed respecting tho San Jose scale, which fortunately appears to be confined to the Nelson district. Asked by what means the pest might spread, Mr. Boucher said that tho. scale, when first hatched, was very small, but quite active. " When on tho move it is quite possible for these small insects to crawl on the legs of bees, flies, or birds (which may aligJit upon infected trees). and in this way bo conveyed from tree .to t-reo in, an orchard, or from one orchard to another." "So far," continued Mr. Boucher, "we have sfcn none of this pest in North Island districts. However, a very careful investigation will bo made during tho next few mouths. I see no occasion for. alarm at present, as, if discovered-when the infection is just. commencing, 'such a nesit may bo browrht under control, and probably entirely .-eradicated." ■