THE CODLIN MOTH SCARE.

Evening Post, Volume XLVIII, Issue 68, 18 September 1894, Page 4

THE CODLIN MOTH SCARE.

♦ Undor this heading, with tho additional one of " New Zealand Croduhty," the Hobart Mercnry of 4th September contains tho following :— The apparent ease with whioh New Zealand officials discovered oodlin moth in a shipment of Tasmanian apples a week or two ago waa considered by many people in tho trade as signifioent of the desire on the part of tho neighbouring colony to work up evidence against our fruit and in favour of the proposed prohibitory duty, which has - Leen characterised as ridioulons in Now Zealand itself. Through the forethought of Mr. Holds worth, the Union S.S. Co. 'a manager at Hobart, our looal authorities havo just had an opportunity of inspecting the condemned fruit. Directly on loarning that the Wakatipu had the apples alleged to bo oodlin moth aboard, Mr. Holdsworth invited the Chief Inspector under the Codlin Moth Aot (Mr. T. A. Tabart), Messrs. C. F. Creswell (Chairman), and A. M. Soares (Inspector Hobart Fruit Board), O. E. Pießße (President) and F. W. J. Moore (Secretary Connoil of Agriculture), Captain Bowe, of the Moonab, and several Hobart shippers and dealers in large quantities of fruit, including Messrs. W. Turner, Tomlinson, Morgan, Wilson Williams, and others to open the oases and examine the fruit. The majority of these gentlemen are experts in the handling of fruit, and probably pass more apples through their hands in one season than the New Zealand offioials at Wellington are likely to ccc in a lifetime. It was well known to them, and the faot has been stated more than onoe since the condemnation of a portion of the Waihora's last fruit cargo to Wellington, that the oodlin moth ia not found at this time of the year. However, they made an exhaustive search through thecondemned cases for oodlin moth, but not a grub could be found. The cases wero opened and examined indiscriminately, and the only discovery wsb that sevoral apples were touched with the black spot, whioh, it is well known, doos not interfere with tho eating qualities of the apple, meroly disfiguring its appearance and reducing its commercial value. Considering the buffeting about the apples had received since they left here Bix weeks ago they opened oat in passable condition. It appears that the actual number of cases refused accept, once in New Zealand on account of the alleged oodlin moth waa 19 oaßos of Frenoh .Grabs ont of a shipment of 240 oases. It waa dearly demonstrated that the Wellington offioials must have been grievously mistaken, and as it is a legal maxim that of two innooent persons the one making the mistake must suffer, it is a question for the shipper of those particular apples to consider whether his reputation lias been injured sufficiently to sustain an action at law. The inoident certainly makes it appear quite probable that the New Zealand offioials do not know what a oodlin moth is. What they possibly mistook for the moth was cacaeda responsana, a small greon grub that seals a leaf to the fruit, and under its friendly shade works away at the skin, seldom penetrating farther than rind deep. Some of onr orohardists, knowing what a scourge the oodlin moth was before it was exterminated from their domains under the penalties of our somewhat severe Codlin Moth Act, might in all charitableness when the moth season comes round koep a look out, try to discover a spoaimen or two, and forward them to New Zealand for educational purposes. We understand that steps were immediately taken to circnlate through the New Zealand press a refutation of the libel on Tasmanian apples. The cacaecia responsana is commonly oalled the looper. In his handbook to the insoofc pests of farm and orchard, tho Rev. E. H. Thompson, Government Entomologist, describes it as " a amall, active, green caterpillar, which gums a leaf on to tho top or sido of an apple, and undor this shelter prooeeds to mark the fruit, whioh it does to the depth of about from eighth to one quarter of •a inch. This greatly disfigures the fruit, "font does not oause it to fall. This grub is extremely numerous in apple houses, after the fruit has boon Bjpked and stored for some time. Directly iff inseot is disturbed it wriggles off and dropß to the ground. It is about five-eighths of an inoh long, and of a dirty yellowish green, though I have seen some of quite a bright green shade." Wo havo also boon shown the roport of the

Government Entomologist 4*° *|"> £Sf ± mont of Agriculture. Mr. Tboi. "V"™."** • The Secretary, Department of - A^ u !^ Hitt-I have examined the aP V lle | J™ havo beon brought back from N**» *W"!| and which woro paid to liavo been * '™° t f ß ? by tho codlin moth giub, and, as I . an^ clp'ted in my tel-ffram to you, I find tha » thero is not tho slightest traco of tbeatte* -*« of tbat post. Tho apples referred to has" beon injured by two distinct enemies— one in=ect, the other fungoid. The insect injury has in all probablity been caused by the oacaecia moth, two of which aro very common in all tho colonies If it had been earlier in tbo eeason, I might have referred the injury to ono of tho " cankor-wormß, anisoptenja vernaLaf?) Neither of these insects materially injure the fruit, though they greatly disfigure it. Tho fnngna injury has beon caused by the Jxmedadxum dendridicnm, or applo Bcab, and the split cracked openings in the fruit are due to this fungns, and to tho efforts of the fruit to throw it off, thus causing cork cells. (Signed) Edwd. H. 1 hompson, 1 Entomologist. 6th September, 1891. f> Q l^ has just occurred to me that it might be well to mention tbat tho injuries to tho apples caused by tho above-mentioned pests, though disfiguring to their appearance, aro in no way prejudicial to their use for cooking and other ptrrposefl, as would be the case with tho codlin moth.