THE SOIL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 5 March 1912, Page 6

THE SOIL

NEW ZEALAND POTATO PEST. RAVAGING FRANCE—IRELAND ALARMED. An interesting story concerning a potato blight which has found its way from New Zealand to France, is told in "l* reman's Journal" (Dublin) ar-—ding to the London correspondent o I tue Christchurch "Press." The paper in question says: "A grave menace to the potato is threatened in France. An insect which has ravaged the potato plant in NewZealand has found its ' way to France, and' its ravages in the province of \ar are already estimated to have been enormous. " The insect is known as the Phthprimaea Solan el lu. It lays its eggs on the potato, and the chrysalis eats the inside of the tuber, mining it and burrowing galleries through it. The holes are quickly covered with a green mossy surface and fungi, which gives out a disagreeable- odour, so that the cattle will not touch the contaminated plant. The insect attacks the tubers of the growing plant. .".■■ v. .'1 as potatoes stored in cellars or pus. and it burrows through the stalk also. ' In the Var whole stores of potatoes have been lost.

"A paper on the subject was read at the last meeting of the Academy of Science in Paris bv M. Bauvier, Professor in the Museum of Natural History in conjunction with M. Picard. Proiessor of Agriculture at Mont pel ier. and they report the presence of the disease in Paris and its neighbourhood, whither it is assumed it was brought with the supplies for the market or in potatoes for seed* from the Var district. The extension of this potato disease would, say Messrs Bouvier and Picard, mean a universa, disaster. As a result the Academy ot Science decided to ask. two of its members to interview the Minister for Agriculture in order to obtain assurances that the necessary steps would be taken forthwith to arrest the progress of and exterminate the insect.

" 'lt is easy.' savs M. Bouvier, to master the insect now. Treatment vvith carbonate of sulphur kills it at once. But the authorities must be under no illusion The farmers will do nothing ihemselves. Th e obligation must b e enforced upon them of exterminating tne disease. A central committee mnrt bt formed and district officers unpointed charged with th fr powers and duties necessary to compel the farmers to carry out the obligation that must be imposed upon them of concerted action against this great evil.

" 'The Ministry of Agriculture must direct a vigorous campaign of extermination. It can be done easily now at little cost, in a short time. Later U may not be possible to accomplish. Public opinion will not pardon those who being able to stop the evil, leave it to spread. Compared with the disaster that now threatened us, the • potato blight and the vine disease were as nothing. "Meantime what are the English Board of Agriculture and the Irish Department of Agriculture doing? I here are continuous imports of potatoes for food and for seed from France to England and from England to this country, and the insect may be imported from Paris as easily as it was brought to Pans from the Var, and to the Var from New Zealand. The disaster that MM, Bouvier and Picard fear in France would be small compared to what would befall Ireland by the destruction of its potato crop. '