Phylloxera and the Auckland Weekly News.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 5

Phylloxera and the Auckland Weekly News.

TO THE EDITOR Sir,— Some time ago (June 7) the Auckland Weekly News published what purported to be a digest of my report to the Government on the state of phylloxera at Whangarei, H telegraphed" to them by their Wellington ?orre-

epondent. The statements so given are entirely wrong in every reapect, and contrary to anything containod in my report. Without going into details, it is only necessary to state that I was made to have reported the infection as having spread through the whole district, and desoribed the progress of " the disease in each vinery." So far from this being the^ case, I reported that the pest was in two vineries only, and that in one case the vines bad been destroyed and the othere were of small value, and would presently be destroyed also; further, that I did not think there was any danger 'of the infeotion spreading, as the two vineries wero isolated by three or four miles from any others: and I went on to describe the state of each, vinery in the district as "perfectly health?." Next week's issue reverted to the subjeot, and took great painß to comment upon my having recommended vinegrowers to graft on the Isabella vine, as a phylloxera proof variety, and palled upon readers to disregard my bad advice, on pain of repenting it when it was too late, and the editor went on to quote authorities, showing how wrong I was, In addition, I was oredited with having given Oolaepia orimea (sio) as the technical name for the pear b»w fly, and a few other abßurditiea. Such mistakes, I suppose, do sometimes occur in tho columns of a large newspaper; but it is diffioult to account for the editor's not publishing a very moderate letter of mine, in which I furnished him with the true statement of the oase and repudiated ever having advised anyone to use the Isabella vine as a proof stock, or any knowledge of the Oolaspia critnea, which, for all I know, may be the technical name of the Russian iufluenza microbe, and should be written Oollapßß-us crimea. If any reader should bo desirous of further particulars than tho bulk of Otngo pcoplo would care about, the state of phylloxera and a truthful account of my report and recommendations as to proof stocks wUI be found iv tho New Zaaland Farmer (to which I am attached) for July, and which is a lroul rival of <he agricultural portion of the Auckland Weekly News.— Yours, &c, R. Allan Wight, Entomologist to the B. and I. A. and H, S., N., G. A., Nelson, &o.