CLEAN ORCHARDS

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 16, 21 July 1921, Page 8

CLEAN ORCHARDS

KEEPING OUT FRUIT FLY.

. A report has been issued by the Director of the Horticultural Division of the Department of Agriculture explaining the necessity for the regulations which place an embargo on the importation o£ citrus fruits unless certified that no fruit fly exists within a milo of the place where the fruit was grown. It has been claimed by some persons that "the climate of New Zealand is such as to prevent tho fruit fly ever becoming established hero, but the director states 'there have been experiences which' contradict this, and it has been necessary to destroy all fruit within tho areas affected in order to complete tho destruction of the fly. I "Despite the care now exercised fruit fly appeared in five small peach orchards in Dargaville last year. Every care will have to bo taken in that locality during the coming season with a view to its eradication. The above facts, coupled with what appears to be authentic statements that fruit fly has become established in Tasmania, is sufficient to warrant the enforcement of, stringent regulations against this pest entering New Zealand. "With reference to Fiji, proposals were made with the officials of that country some time ago which, if put into practice, would enable the shipment of citrus fruits to New Zealand. These proposals included the the erection of fly-proof sheds, and the assembling of all fruit intended for export within these sheds five days prior to the despatch of the fruit to New Zealand. These arrangements were of course tentative, and were made with a view to testing the reliability' of the scheme, which, if found satisfactory, would enable Fijian shippers .to forward their fruit to New Zealand. The scheme has only lately been put into practice, and is still in the experimental stage, but it is hoped that in the interests.of tho Fijian grower and tho New Zealand consumer the precautions suggested will be found to bo satisfactory. - : "I might further point out that the authorities of tho Hawaiian Islands, despite the fact that fruit fly is present in the islands, absolutely prohibit the introduction of any class of fruit from "countries where fruit fly exists, and, further, were prevailed to remove the embargo against New Zealand fmits only on the assurance that fruit fly did not exist within New Zealand, and then only' on condition that all fruit shipued should be covered by a certificate declaring, that no form of fruit fly was kno.wn to exist within Now Zealand, and that tho fruit in Question had not at any lime, even in transit, come into contact with fruit grown in Austr#lin,"'