FARM GOSSIP. [WRITTEN FOR THE "WEEKLY NEWS."]
1 have been shown a letter addressed to tho editor of the Weekly News, announcing that some samples of fruit had been forwardod by a certain vessel, xn which H«irto reference is made to ' Old Colonial." Ofto letter was written by Mr. Thomas Gritfin, Woodville Farm, Wbau Whau, near Whangttrei. A plant specimen was enclosed, with ft request that I would toll him what it was. The plant is LoUis coi'ntculainis, or "the lesser birdsfoot trefoil," some particulars respecting which are given in my letter of lost week, in reply to another correspondent/ The specimen is a small one, and judgllig by its appearance I am inclined to think the Btffl upon which it grows is not wholly to its liking. There would be no \i8Q in repeating what I wrote last week respecting its general properties, &c. In reply to some remarks of "Old Practical," I made some observations a few weoks ago upon the grape scourge which had boon introduced into France from America within the last ten years— the Phyloxera vdstatrix, The ravages by this little beetle have been very serious ; and by latest accounts it wan still spreading. It has crossed the borders into Switzerland, and is now playing sad havoc there ; and it has also made on approach towards Australasia. The grape vines in Madeira have been attacked in several places, and fears are entertained that in the course of a few years the export of Madeira wine will be small. At present the inhabitants Of the little island divide amongst themselves" Sttme £00,000 annually, received from the Briton*, Russian*, and Americana who use their excellent wine. The great evil of tins pest is that it may nave obtained a footing and increased to many millions before, their presence i» even suspected. The habit they have of bui'rowing in the ground and attacking the root tettdo to cause their presence at first to pass unnoticed, A healthy vine will oftentimes resist their attacks for a couple of years before the proprietor becomes aware that incredible numbers of little bugs are making incessant attacks Upon his favourite vines. Meanwhile the insects al'e increasing rapidly, and by-and-by the vine show* ftigns of sickliness. One after another show siitfilar symptomB, until at last the vigneron becomes aware of the danger in which his property is placed, The race of destruction is no* swift. For one or two years the vine* may have been resisting the onslaught of a comparatively limited fltitnber of these insects, but they have been engaged in a losing struggle ; for, while no additional vigour hasbeon imparted to the vines, theiv assailants have been every month or two increasing at a prodigious rate, and the time soon comes when the income from the vineyard, which formerly yielded ample moans of lubsistence, will bo simvll indeed. N«W Zealand and Australia are now in rapid steam , communication with America and oilier countries, whence the insect might be imported, and I think the Government should not" only prohibit the importation of grape vines from foreign countries, but obtain all the information they can respecting the insect, the changes winch it undergoes, and the various natural enemies to which it is liable in eachpf those several stages ; and submit that .information at the opening of Parliament as a State paper, just as was done last year in regard to the information respecting the South, Sea trade »nd \he preservation of Forests, &o.' v While on the subjeci of grape vines, I may remark in reply to an enquiry made a few weeks ago by a reader of the Weekly News residing on the Great Barrier Island, that from enquiries I have made I am quite of opinion that the currant vine has never been introduced into the Province of Auckland. As a further evidence of the dislike which the Victorians cherish to the pugnacious house-sparrow, inflicted upon that colony, as on this, by the injudicious interference on the part of the Acclimatisation Society, the Argus of a recent date records great destruction among the Victorian sparrows. The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria have wisely removed the hoxiBe-sparrow from the list of protected birds, and since then the war of extermination has been going on briskly. From the papor named I take the following extract : — U Moifrabbin and Brighton, following the example of other districts, have established clubs for the destruction of sparrows. Each club has been subsidised by the local Council to the extent of £20. The Moorabbin Club has been in existence but little over two months, during which time it has caused the destruction of 20,000 birds and eggs. The Brighton Club commenced operations about three weeks ego, and has already purchased about 3,000 eggs and upwards of 700 birds. The price paid for them is Is. per dozen for birds, and 6d. per dozen for eggs." This is good work, and I am sorry that such" clubs are not in active operation here. While there are so many soft-billed or insect-eating birds to be imported, if Acclimatisation Societies are inclined, by some strange fatality they persist in introducing for the most part grain and seed-eating birds. Occasionally a few inseot-eaters, such as the hedgesparrow, are introduced; but for one such shipment of birds those for "sport — grain-eaters — are introduced bix to one. The various "shrikes," which have been called the falcons of the insect world, might be introduced with great advantage to' the ' farmer. Though they sometimes, when food is scarce, secure a small bird for a meal, they deserve it, for the quantity of various kinds of insects they destroy is enormous. In fact, they not infrequently destroy them for the mere pleasure of the thing, when they do not require them for food. Again, there are the thrushes and blackbirds, all of which are enormous insect-eaters, and they also destroy great numbers of snails. There are many other species of small birds which would do valuable service if they were introduced. The fly-catcher has been introduced, but their numbers are so few that very little advantage will be derived from them for many years to cqme. Anyone watcliing the house-sparrow in a fruit garden at tho end of January, or boginning of February, will have no difficulty in seeing how he has become so hated a bird in tho colonies. Where plums and cherries are growing, he may be seen hopping from branoh to branch, and dabbing his bill into tho softest side of the best plum he sees. This is done to perhaps a hundred plums in the course of a quarter of an hour. These plums, if not spoiled, are rendered so valueless that there is little wonder the fruit-grower is sometimes tempted to say tilings which are not very polite. I hope the local society will reconsider its position, and act ob the Victorian Society has done : withdraw the legal protection from the hated bird. It is useless to say the birds catch a few insects to feed their young in the|br§eding season. The few insects caught then, but poorly compensate for- the injury they do ; for while they are- catohing a few insects for their young, they are feeding on fruits and' seeds themselves> ahd as soon as the bills of tho young ones get hard, they too cease to partake of ins6ot» wlulo anything else can be had. Before the house-sparrow was introduced fruit could be grown without molestation, but now this has become nearly impossible
- a! li .i-%l Jii i sin, ill dish ii i iimiumI || u . city "I ki.unl I would ili, . t(, u > wurn jh\ lt'.ylfis nf (lie ill, li^fm, ih, ui, shmiUI fliov priiuit 1 tlii' lmii,r ,p,utOA\ |n increase in then- m>i< lilxmrhood. Peihaps it nwy he .-iitcicjting 1<. Mi T. B. Hill t«. kimw that I V \.mivd the piece of m- a «-i v ..oL he sent me, .uul ih.it it is now semlniy ii[> two tine lieikhy »l">ots. Oli)Com)niai. "
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Bibliographic details
Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXI, Issue 5465, 27 February 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)
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1,334FARM GOSSIP. [WRITTEN FOR THE "WEEKLY NEWS."] Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXI, Issue 5465, 27 February 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)
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