THE CODLIN MOTH AS A FRIEND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 14 August 1890, Page 5

THE CODLIN MOTH AS A FRIEND.

It is very interesting to see what different views people take of the same thing, according to the effect it has upon their own individual interests. Most persons would have thought that the codlin moth was to have been universally condemned as an unmitigated nuisance, buh thisdoes not appear to be the case. One evening when a certain gentleman attended a fruit growers' meeting at the Thames, in thft Auckland Province, for the purpose of giving a lecture on the codlin moth, he observed one man amongst the audience, who, after the leoture was over and a general meeting was being, held, was particularly eloquent in denouncing the little inseot. Ho was a fruit grower and, fruit seller, having a very go^d orchard, and a thriving retail business in fruit. Next | day when passing the shop the lecturer was called in and had a look at the apple?, which appeared unusually fine and all perfectly free from the motb. He remarked that the fruiterer need not have beea so bitter against a pest that certainly did not seem, judging from the condition of the fruit, to be very troublesome in his orchard. The retailer said he would explain it by-and-bye, but they would have a glass of cider ' first. The bottle was produced, "no sooner 6iud than done," but before drinking a toast was proposed that astonished the visitor. " Here's to the codlin moth. Long may it Jive, and may its shadow never grow less ! " — " How do you like the cider, is the flavour good H" — "Yes, ijnia splendid ; the flavour is excellent." And now came the explanation. This man was an old experienced American fruit grower, and he kept his orchard well sprayed with Paris green, and' in consequence of that and other precautions lost but very few of his apples even cheaply, and his customers preferred giving him good priceß to buying other people's wormy fruit at a lower rate. " Then why waste them in making cider 'i "— " Oh, that is the best

fof it. I buy their apples and make the oid* from them. Have another glass?"— "No, thank yon, not now I know what is in it."—" In America," said the fruit merchant, "we set about curing an ovil, but hf>re they go to meetings to talk about it. and abuße the Government. What you advloed the 1 " to do wjw right enough, but it was only w?«te of timw. In this country tbby have theu* 'British gnwl,' ns they call it, but they don't roll up their sleeves and go atifc the way we do in America, aud it will be a long time bofore any Governments do anything to help them to mind what it is fairly their own business to attend to. But it is all the better for the few that do."

OjtCHABDIST,