WORK OF DR. TILLYARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19871, 15 February 1928, Page 12

WORK OF DR. TILLYARD.

SERVICES TO DOMINIONS PRESENTATION AT NELSON. FRUITGROWERS' APPRECIATION. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT, "I NELSON. Tuesday. The splendid work which Dr. R. J. Tillyard has accomplished in the interests of the fruitgrowers of the Dominion was recognised last evening when, at a meeting called by the JSlew Zealand Fruit Federation, a cheque was presented to him prior to his departure for Australia. Mr. ,D. Haming, of Nelson, chairman of. the local advisory board, presided. The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. 0. J. Hawken, who made the presentation, said ■ It would be discovered soon that Dr. Tillyard belonged,, not to Nelson, but to the Empire as a whole. He went on to refer to his scientific work, and said there was no doubt that there be a controversy as to the wisdom of introducing into the country insects which preyed upon other insects. The work called for great scientific knowledge, and also for great judgment, and ho congratulated him on the very great care he had taken in what he had done. The relations of the department with Dr. Tillyard had been of the most pleasant, and he congratulated him on being called to take charge of the important department in Australia. Dr. Tillyard would be missed personally, right throughout New Zealand. Speaking on behalf of the Government, he wanted to thank Dr. Tillyard for the great help he had given to the fruitgrowers of the Dominion. It came at a very fortunate time, when the industry was something in the.nature of a "lame duck, and the assistance given had certainly helped to turn the scale in the growers;' favour, and he believed that from that point the orchards began to make progress. Mr. Hawken then handed to Dr. Tillyard an envelope containing a cheque subscribed to by fruitgrowers throughout the Dominion. Influence of Environment. In his reply Dr. Tillyard said it was not only the man, but the environment of man, that made for success. The beautiful setting of Nelson, and the perfect conditions from a health point of view, and more especially the sympathy and encouragement of the trustees and director of the Cawthron Institute and of his fellow-workers, ard the keen appreciation of everybody in the district for the work he was trying to do had helped toward any success he had obtained. Referring to the anxious time he had had when watching the first brood of Aphelinus mali reared at the Cawthron Institute, Dr. Tillyard, said Dr. Howard had made the original suggestion to him, and, therefore, they had really to thank the American scientist for its introduction. The point he wished to drive home was that behind this work there was a greater work. First of all there was the Empire work, because they had faced the fact that it was only by hanging together and trading together that the Empire was going to carry on without serious disruption. Future With the Scientists. The future of the Empire lay with the scientists. It was going to be part of iiis duty and his privilege, not only to carry 011 the work on economic lines, but to build up a staff and train young men to fill the many posts which ho felt sure would be open to them. Speaking of experiments with noxious weeds, Dr. Tiliyard said the department was quite right in insisting on the greatest strictness being enforced before liberating insects. Nothing but tho most stringent test should be permitted, and an open permit should not be granted to either himself or his successor, nntil the Council of the .Scientific Research Board was thoroughly satisfied that every possible test had been applied, and that the insects had come through with flying colours. Speaking to the fruitgrowers, Dr. Tillyard said he valued their gift very highly. Inside the envelope was the sincere .goodwill of all his very good friends. Cheers were' given for Dr. and Mrs. Tillyard. Farewell from Institute. Yesterday afternoon Dr. Tillyard was bidden farewell by the trustees of the Cawthron Institute. The chairman, Mr. F. G. Gibbs, said the Institute had been very fortunate in the personnel of the staff, and Dr. Tillyard's connection with it had shed considerable lustre on the institute. In the course of his reply, Dr. Tillyard said be honestly believed success with the eradication of blackberry would come later. With regard to gorse and ragwort, experiments were advancing, but there were still some difficulties to overcome. Only in the last few days unexpected difficulties concerning the ragwort moth had come, but he thought they would be cleared up very shortly. The experiments with earwigs and oak scale were not yet a success. Fireblight had been a partial success, and he thought Nelson was the only place at the present time that was safe from the disease. Although he was going away leaving a number of problems not solved, yet they would be easier of solving because of the hard labour his assistants and himself had put in. Dr. Tillyard, accompanied by Mrs. Tillyard, \yill leave Nelson on Tuesday next for Auckland, to join the Ulimaroa for Sydney on February 24.