SPREAD OF FIREBLIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21717, 5 February 1934, Page 14

SPREAD OF FIREBLIGHT

CONCERN IN CANTERBURY APPLE CROPS ATTACKED Officers of the Department of Agriculture in Christcluirch have discovered the first signs of the presence of lireblight in the commercial apple orchards in the neighbourhood of the city, and in North Canterbury. Steps aro being taken to combat the outbreak, but it is feared that, with its customary persistence, the disease migiit spread and cause a serious lo'ss next season. Mr. B. G. Coodwin, the orchard instructor attached to the Department of Agriculture at Christchurch, states thut, in spite of tho intensive campaigu which the department has carried out dicing tho last two years to eradicate fircblight from tho city, ifc was still spreading, and it had boon discovered recently that the majority of the commercial apple orchards in and around the city, and in tho Loburn district, had been attacked. So far the outbreak was slight in the amount of damago than had been done, Mr. Coodwin said, bufc some of tho present season's apple crop had been affected, and it was a disturbing feature that so many of the orchards showed nigiis of fircblight. "This attack on the apples is causing tho growers a great deal of concern, particularly in view of the previous hard knocks which the season has brought them in tho way of frosts ,«nd hail,", Mr. Goodwin said. "Even with the damage confined as" ifc is at present, to cut out the affected branches from trees and' take the necessary precautions will mean a great deal of expense, which the grower can very ill afford. Most of tho export apple crops have been affected slightly by the ravages of the blight on the trees. I do not want to be pessimistic about the position, but wo have fears about the naturo of'the development next season. Probably it is going to spread, and it is known that fircblight spreads rapidly."