CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 156, 29 March 1926, Page 3

CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

RECENT ACTIVITIES REPORT TO TRUST BOARD tty Telegraph.—Press Association Nelson. March 27. The recent activities of the Cawthron Institute were dealt with in a report to the Trust Board. In the course of the report it is stated that the soil survey of the Waimea county is approaching completion so tar as this work can be ; economically carried on at present. “It is expected at an early date,” continued the report., "that a beginning will be made with a soil survey of the Takaka County. A preliminary examination his been made of a number of soils from Collingwood and Murchison Counties, ano it appears that a certain type of sheep sickness in the former country is associ ated wi*' the remarkable shortage oi phospha.-s in the soils upon which the sickness occurs. Durinn the present season lield experiments have been continued with barley, grass, lucerne, and hav Tomato experiments have been extended to the field. They have included .sterilisation experiments which have indicated that chloride of lime, if used with caution, may prove to be very useful to the soil. Antiseptic or hard experiments have again demonstrated the great value oi suitable fertilisers,, both in the apple and .peach orchards. In the Moutcro Hills’ orchards much attention has been paid to a disorder recognised by the pitting and browning of the fruit. The trouble has been very prevalent this season and lifts occurred both in manured and unmanured orchards. Observations on different root stocks, on manuria.l effects, and on sprays continue to be carried out. Entomology experiments are being conducted on the control of blackberry and ragwort, mealy bug, pear slug, cottony cushion, scale, and oak scale by means of their natural enemies. A large consignment of Canadian green lacewmgs has' been received, and from their eggs a number of adults have been reared. If this lacewing can be established, it will be a valuable check to many kinds of. aphio, including the aphides of the pine plantations This type of work is beset with difficulties, and it seems certain "that some of the most valuable insects will only be successfully established after repeated trials. A number of papers dealing with points of entomologie interest have been communicated to the learned societies during the past year, and at the request of the Forestry Department a paper on Canadian ,-lacei wings has been prepared by Mr. Gourlay for the New Zealand Forestry “Bulletin.” Letters of appreciation of the excellent work accomplished by the .Aphelinus mali continue to be received. The trustees have sent Dr. Tillyard to England and America to make a special study of the blackberry and ragwort problem. Other troubles which he will investigato. are the insect pests of pine and spruces, the oak scale and oak aphis, and the earwig. -The New Zealand Government has contributed .£250, and the Commonwealth Government of Australia £lOO towards the expenses of these investigations “Mycology—A large number of diseased plants and fruits from all parts of New Zealand has been received and reported on. Special attention has been given to the study of brown rot in stone fruit, and a paper by Dr. Curtis, illustrated by 59 drawings, has been forwarded to London for publication. The paper deals with the factors governing resistance to disease in five varieties of peach, five of apricot, five of phim, two of nectarine, and one of cherry. Other fungal diseases treated experimentally have been: Black spot’of apple, die back, and buddrop of stone fruit. A paper on the three diseases of the willow has been published by Miss Murray. Orchard experiments has shown the advantage of co-operation between the mycologist and agricultural chemist in dealing with the problems of plant disease in New Zealand. Fruitgrowers have voted .£lOO towards the expenses of the Biological Department."