CAWTHRON RESEARCH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21471, 20 April 1933, Page 10

CAWTHRON RESEARCH

INCOME FALLS AWAY DROPPING VALUABLE WORK WEEDS AND PESTS CONTROL [by telegraph—own correspondent] WELLINGTON, Wednesday Addressing a meeting of the executive of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union to-day, Dr. D. Miller, of the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, said that although the institute did valuable research work for farmers, it was in such an unenviable financial position that it would be forced to drop some important research investigations. In regard to the entomological department, he said that in 1931, the income for entomological research was £6400. This year tho income for these purposes' was a little over £9OO. The drop was caused by a cessation of the grant of £2OOO from the Empire Marketing Board, and also grants from tho timber industry and the Government. To-day, with tho exception of £SO from Dunedin, tho only grant to tho entomological department was from tho institute itself.

They were now at an important stage in this research. It had taken 15 years to build up the institution, and tboro was a danger of tho losb of all tho results of its investigations. What tho entomological department was doing was research in the control of noxious weeds by insects and the control of insect posts, such as grass grub, diamond-tack moth and aphis. It had been decidod to, abandon attempts at tho control of blackberry by insects, as the beetle stage of tho insect used did damage to apples, and, moreover, tho particular insect concerned did not really control blackberry. In regard to gorsc, a weevil was being used to destroy the seeds of gorse prior to seeding. In parts of tho South Island, gorse flowered at the time that tho weevil was active, and it worked well, although in other parts of New Zealand, due to gorse flowering too near the winter, tho weevil did not do its work.

It was believed that a fly had been found, the grub of which would destroy 100 per cent of the seeds of ragwort, while not being injurious to useful plants. In regard to bidi-bidi, the Meat Board had subscribed enough money to carry on this research. An insect obtained from Chile was capable of great destruction to the burrs and might destroy the plants. Dr. Miller spoke of the proposed steps to deal with gr«iss grub and cattle tick by means of imported parasites.