SPRAYED APPLES

Evening Star, Issue 19128, 21 December 1925, Page 2

SPRAYED APPLES

THE ARSENIC DANGER NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. Press Association — By Telegraph— Copyright. LONDON, December 18. A meeting of the Agents-Genernl discussed the situation arising out oi the discoveries of arsenic in American apples. Representatives of the National Fruit Federation who attended emphasised the danger of a public scare arising out of the recent prosecutions, and possibly leading to a general boycotting of all imported apples. The traders stated that during many years’ experience they had never seen a trace oi arsenic in Australian apples. The Agcnts-Gencral subsequently conferred, and decided to suggest to the respective Governments that, though there was no cause for alarm, Australian growers ought to be warned against marketing apples if there was the least danger of the discovery of appreciable quantities of arsenic, which was officially held to be deleterious. It is understood that the affected American apples came irom districts where dusting is practised instead of liquid spraying.—A. and N.Z. Cable. “ JUST A SCARE " GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR’S VIEWS. “ Unless there is some other contributing cause, 1 think it is just a scare over nothing,” said Mr L. Paynter, Government Orchards Inspector, when asked for his views by a ‘ Lyttelton Times ’ reporter regarding the attitude ol the British Ministry of Health towards fruit treated with arsenical sprays. Mr Paynter said ho found it difficult to understand the attitude taken up by the Britisli health experts. The matter came in for a good deal of discussion in New Zealand some years ago, owing to seme children having been taken seriously ill after supposedly eating sprayed fruit. Dr J. P. Erengley, the health officer, went into the matter very thoroughly, and he iound that a person would have to cat one bushel (401 b) of fruit, freshly sprayed with arsenate of load, before suffering any ill-effects from the spray. The matter had also been closely investigated in Australia, with a similar result. “I think that when the whole matter is boiled down it will bo iound that there is nothing in it at all,” said Mr Paynter. “It is quite possible, of course, that in the preparation of sprays sufficient care might not have been exercised, but the methods ol manufacturing them arc so complete that that does not seem a very likely possibility’.” Mr Paynter said that there were no New Zealand apples in London at present, and it appeared to bo American apples that were affected. The New Zealand apples were finished in London about July last. New Zealand limit would come under the restrictions il they were continued. “ It is a very serious tiling ior limitgrowers, as arsenate of lead sprays are the only means at present known oi controlling the chewing insects, such as the codliu moth and the leaf roller caterpillar,” said Mr Paynter. “ These are two very serious pests as iar as apple orchards are concerned, and when the spray gets them they arc invisible to the naked eye. if the spray were applied to them chon fully grown it would not kill them. That should show how harmless it is.” “Do yon think local fruitgrowers should give up spraying i their apple trees with arsenate ot leadr Mr 1. aynter was asked. “No, certainly not; it would _ be suicide,” ho replied. “ They might just as well grub their orchards straight awav as give up spraying with arsenate of load. I’m emphatic on that point. In anv case, they’ wouldn t be able to sc.> anv fruit if they didn’t spray it, and, in fact, the law would not permit such fruit to he sold. This is just a scare, and it will soon he forgotten, just as one or iwo previous scares have been forgotten.”