FIREBLIGHT MENACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19720, 20 August 1927, Page 14

FIREBLIGHT MENACE.

CONCERN IN NELSON. [DISTRICT HITHERTO IMMUNE. KEEPING; OUT THE PEST. ORCHARDISTS AND FARMERS. gry telegraph.—owx correspondent.] NELSON. Friday. Kelson orchardists,. are inteuso.lv concerned in keeping the dreaded fire blight disease out of tins district. 5?o iar it . lias not appeared here, but it is st< ud creeDing South, and only Cooa Stiait ( cow keeps it out of the .South Island. ; A deputation of orchardists waited on the executive of the Neisen 1-arraers Union, when it ;\vas pointed out that the disease had not yet reached Nelson, but thai this was only a question of nine, and that the numerous hawthorn hedges in some parts oi the district affoided a serious menace in the spread of the ( pest. It was made plain by tiie deputation that.farmers were not being asked to cut out their hedges. All that was . wanted at present was their co-operation in keeping hedges trammed during the blossoming period, free and easy access to their properties by the patrolmen v. ho were to be appointed to watch for the spread of the disease, and a stretch of hedge for experimental purposes by the . Cawthron Institute. was also pointed out that there was no desire to antagonise the farmers, and that before any action was decided upon they would be consulted. The union received the deputation in a sympathetic manner, and it was reSolved that meetings of the Waimea, Riwaka and Ngatimoti branches should be called to discuss the problem. Dr. Tilly ard, of the Cawthron Institute, who has taken a great interest in the matter since the disease first appeared in New Zealand, drew attention to the scientific aspect of the question. He went on to stress the importance of farmers and orchardists working amicably together to cope with the problem for the general good. If the disease caine here everybody would suffer. It must be realised that in the hawthorn there was a great dangar of introducing the disease. He suggested that farmers and orchardists should get together and agree-'among themselves as to which districts should be considered fruitgrowing areas, and then do the best they vcould to eliminate the hedges. Where farming primarily predominated and there was only a small number of fruitgrowers the latter should realise that they must give way. If the farmers sat still and let the disease take its course they would su6er, but the orchardists would Suffer more. ; POSITION IN MANAWATTJ. FATE OF THE HAWTHORNS. To combat the spread in the Maiia■vratu district of fireblight, the Government some months ago decreed that all hawthorn within a radius of five miles from the Paimerston North post office should be destroyed. Naturally, this edicit did not prove to the liking of farmers within the area who had hawthorn hedges on their properties, and representations -were promptly made to the Department of Agriculture. A deputation organised by the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association recently waited on the Minister and put the farmers' csi.se before him, but he . strongly supported the attitude of the department, with the result that a meeting has been called for next week to voice further objections. In the meantime the department is marking time, and no steps have been taken to pr'osecute anyone for non-compliance with the order. However, fully 75 per cent, of the hawthorn in the five-mile area, it 'is stated, have alreadybeen cut down- >