FIREBLIGHT IN NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18942, 13 February 1925, Page 12

FIREBLIGHT IN NORTH.

ORGHARDISTS ORGANISE. STEPS TO CHECK SPREAD. [HI TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. J WHANGAREI. Thursday. Following upon the identification of fireblight in tho district for tho first time in its history, a meeting of orchardists took place in tho Town Hall last evening. Mr. P. Everett, Government orchard inspector, acted in an advisory capacity. At Oakleigh, several miles south of Whangarei, tho first case in tho,district was noted, and a few days lator in. spection showed that tho disease was also in ono of the best-known commercial orchards contiguous to ngarei borough. Eigid inspection iu tho orchards between those points has disclosed no further sign of it. It was disclosed at the meeting that hawthorn hedges, one of the principal means of spreading tho disease, were not numerous. It was decided that before tho trees broke into blossom next spring the Agricultural Department should create a fruit area within a radius of eight or 10 miles of Whangarei, within which no hawthorn hedges should ho allowed other than those which wore cut back so that they could not flower and so' that they wore not more than hedge-high. There aro somo notoriously overgrown, hedges of hawthorn at present within a few miles of Whangarei. Three prominent orchardists were appointed a committee to act in conjunction with the orchard instructor in enforcing preventative measures, and in dealing with the problem of eradication.