CATERPILLAR PLAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 4

CATERPILLAR PLAGUE.

IN CANTERBURY. ■■-."■■ (BY TELEGBAPn—SPPCUL COKKESr.ONDENT.) : );.'. ...,,. Ohristphuroh,, January 13. A*' 'Times" .reporter who made a motor car trip through 'the ■ Amberley and Baloairn dis T tricts yesterday. gives" a very serious account of the. injury'being do'n'e'to-'thercrops by the caterpillar peat. ''They have not worried mo ,much,", said, one- Leithfield fanner - with :■ a dray ;load of oats,' '"but 1 am .'going, to get my stuff in-, foef ore they, start.,ill earnest. Still they are; here,' -and I have, quite ■ enough. to more l than 'satisfy me." He : '. scraped: his hand, along the bottom of the dray, and drew out a squirming; heap of 'green and.' brown caterpillars.:; An examination of the sheaves - showed that the'oat-s wore full of .. caterpillars, '-.and it was. stated- that they.'were in ■otherfields in like rmmbers.. ':'.■ .-,.- . . ■ Several Balcairn farmers said,that the insects had for several days been.crawling' over fences from field,-to field, ..'devouring 'tho' major portion of the .green'.-..stuff in. each. They over moved forward, appetites seemed insatiable. ; ■' . A:-farmer'; at Mount Brown said that he ''ad been reaping one day recently when tho features literally covered'the platform of the lachirie.. An inspection- of a -field of oats tuwed-that a large percentage of the heads, ad been bitten through, and the place was ractically/alive with .hairy, creeping in-, abitants. • Most' of the'farmers in .the yicin-. ;y.:.\rero"reaping..their, orops green in order D.save.thehiirom'the plagno.. -, "•':'■. ■in-Amberley.; there was 'general bemoaning mong the farmersi' : ; One lost-all his, ryerass seed;through, the: ravages of. tho-: in'- , Dots'. ■ ThoV.pest appears to be 'general':all ver the:district, and one farmer burnt a lot f- grass to prevent -the caterpillars travelling cross to his crops. Another: lost two padocks of valuable grass seed, the baro stalks lily remaining; >'•; :{ '■:■ ■'. ■ : : '~y: ■- ; J V : ..-' , Mr. ; Frederick Coleman, of Brobmfield, had. ad several crops of'Oftts--,spoiHi,',;eri'd. yester-: ,ay .tlie caterpillars,were"in , his. wheat.: • 'It. eemed/to be'ra : general opinion .that'they ;ould not toiioh wheat,: but /apparently, when hero is no other food, they '.do not scruple !s_.to-Vh'ai comes along/ : They are of.sizes rom. little' : green creepers to' : big,-fellows' .early three lnchee long..' :. ' . : ■'"V '.The R-ev.".H..E.,East,'vicar of teithfield,-. tated that- tho 'insects Were, working '•■'south'-'.-i'a'rd Tfrom-Cheviot-w'ay, -making' distinct' iaths across tho.fields.. 'He had 'Seen flocks of mall birds apparently - "attacking- , the' cater-; iillars in forco some .weeks ago. . ';: - ; .' , Questioned, as-to the. salvationby-birds o' , lie 'crops" affected, the fa'rmefs.'.s'ebinod fd be' f the opinion that the smaller introduced lirds.had grown! tired of: the; ; plenteous diet if caterpillars.- .A penefal idea ; '-:'w'as-! ; pro-■alent'-that.'-the starling .\yas.;the only ;birdliat .had remained, trio to the "prediction, of iis introducer,' 'and jit.'"waS , -stated' ,that : ':.',tlio .parrpWsj-lark, and'fincil63.;:had : tired mnquet,..and.• had\' , a"j*iiitl : dbcidbd'; ; that com-, noiKojtts /: and : whe'at r --jVereMjuitetgoo'd■,'.aiid iatisfying=.fare.'-' : ;; L j. v i.w;.«u.- ■■■>■'■•■;'.-'-