THE CODLIN MOTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9032, 19 April 1888, Page 6

THE CODLIN MOTH.

Fob many years the codlin moth has prevailed in the orchards of New Zealand and Australia, though it is only during the last few years it has become very troublesome in New Zealand orchards. It has been spread chiefly by farmers taking to the country districts old fruit cases from infected places, such as Nelson and Tasmania, for the sake of saving the small coat of making new boxes from the timber growing in their district for the purpose of marketing their fruit. The penalty paid has been a heavy one, and this enemy to fruit-growers is now so well established in all parte of the colony that there is little prospect that the country will ever again be free from it, especially' so long as the Government allow free and unrestricted importations from infected countries. After a time, however, all such infections generally assume a milder form, and, following this law, it is only occasionally that the moth gives much trouble to the fruitgrower in Britain. But, though there is tjO prospect of the insect being ever Vanished from the country, it is satisfactory to know that there is reason to antici- i pate a time may be near at hand when a •ace of apple trees will be growing whose /ruit will be proof against the attacks of this little enemy. The following letter from the celebrated Ballarat nurseryman, Mr. Thomas Lang, has been published in the Melbourne Leader: —"Sir, —In common with the whole horticultural community, I have lamented over the introduction and spread of that pest, the codlin moth, and it was, therefore, with unmitigated pleasure that I took notice lately of an unexpected state of affairs which I witnessed in the garden of my friend, Mr. Clemesha, Coppin-street, Richmond. He has two apple trees growing side by side, from one of which almost all the apples dropped off, hopelessly destroyed by the codlin moth, and from the other not, one has fallenall the fruit is clean and sound and free from the attack of the codlin moth. The name of the variety which has thus escaped the ravages of the enemy is Porter, - a well.known American variety, raised in Massachusetts, and esteemed as a very healthy tree, and productive. The fruit is medium sized, fitted for kitchen or dessert, and admirably adapted for market gardeners. If. it is found that this variety escapes the ravages of the codlin moth, it may be cultivated more largely on that account; but I call attention to it chiefly that others may be on. the look-out, and observe where there are other varieties that withstand the attacks of this enemy, and, if successful, in discovering other sorts having a similar property to the Porter. It must not be any excuse for us to fold our hands and submit without a murmur to the devastation of other sorts caused by the codlin moth. We may welcome the apple Porter, but must continue our persecution of the devastator, and keep it down, for it is well known that by careful attention it can be kept down ; nay, by united care and attention, it could be banished from our orchards.—Yours, c., Thomas , Lang." We are not aware that any New Zealand fruit-grower has observed this resistant quality on the part of the Porter apple, but it has been observed by American orchardists in California. There is nothing unreasonable in this. For many years it was anticipated that all. apple trees suffered alike from the woolly aphis, or American blight, until it was observed that the Winter Majetin was never affected by this pest, either above or below the ground. Then the Northern Spy, another wholly blight-proof tree, made its appearance, though one of its parents blights very badjy. Since then quite a little collection of apple trees wholly, or almost wholly, blight-proof has been produced, and can now 'be' grown by anyone. So with the grape- vine. • -Though' the European variety, of grape vine is terribly destroyed by the • vine f: louse, :i Phylloxera vastatrix, a large number of vines, native to America, are free from its attacks. We Bee no reason why, if it be generally found that the Porter apple is free from the -attacks of the codlin moth, a large number of varieties should not be raised which will oe equally free from its ravages. The pips of the Porter apples should be preserved and. sown, 'and the seedlings carefully at- ? tended to, and •it is more than probable that a number of the seedlings will be found to possess in a greater or less degree the codlin moth resisting qualities of their parent.- A-new field of enquiry is thus J>eing opened up;to fruit-growers.