INSECT PESTS AND OUR FARMERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1949, 2 July 1891, Page 5

INSECT PESTS AND OUR FARMERS.

Very few, sven amongst those whom it chiefly concerns, seem to be aware cf the enormous losses that ocour every year from insect pests, simply because they do not think about it unlesß some inßeot happens to be making itself particularly obnoxious at the time. , Some tune ago an example of this occurred to a gentleman who was engaged by the Government to collect certain' needed insect friends in Auckland. (Two very largo farmers from the South, happening to Bee a wide-mouthed bottle containing Boma of these insects, asked what was the use of spending time in collecting them, and on being told that their value %?as such that it would ba difficult -to estimate it, one of them laughed, and replied that if they were thrown out and the bottle filled with whisky he would not mind giving two shillings for it. Yet there can be no doubt that these despised insects will have effected a saving of a great many thousand pounds before very long in the district to which they have been sent. They were, in faot, vedalia, sent to save Nelson from having her .vegetation destroyed

by a pest which ia rapildy doing so, and for whioh there is no other known effectual oure. Miss Ormerod, that indefatigable and true friend of the English farmer, has been making arrangements to have some little knowledge or tconomio entomology introduced into the schools, and oolourad plates of injurious insects sent to each, in order that the rising generation may know their enemies, and be able to fight them. Miss Ormerod also (some years ago) made arrangements far frames to be constructed, containing specimens of injurious insects, to be hung up at the various post offices, 40 as to make their appearance generally known. The editor of one of the Auckland leading journals told the writer lately that h« intends tditarta collection, and have it framed and hung up on the premises of the journal. If, in addition to these, a second set of plates and frames, containing representations or specimens of our insect friends (to insure their protection) were also provided, we might have a better chance than at present of saving some part of our heavy losses from in* sect pests. What the cost of such advantages would be it is not easy to say, but at all events it would be a mere nothing compared to the amount of good done by making these things publicly known. The plain fact is that the ignorance of many respectable people upon matters of natural history is not only deplorable from a general point of view, but it is especially to be regretted where it leads to serious losses both to themselves and tbe colony at large, and it is exceedingly diffioult to conceive why suoh knowledge is not imparted in our public schools. It is also very curious to observe What motives aotnate publio men in taking the Bteps in the right direotion whioh they sometimes do. For several years some abortive attempts have been made to introduce a bill to deal with tbe vexed oodlin moth question, but tjjey have always fallen through, and probably always will, beoause legislation on suoh points never gives- satisfaction and very seldom does any good, The writer had a good deal cf correspondence and conversation with • certain M.H.R.'u who took a lively interest in codlin moth legislation. On one of these occasions a prominent member of the House of Representatives observed to him, •• Well, you know when — — and were in Auokland they had some apple jam at the — — Hotel with a lot of oodlin moth worms in it and they were so disgusted that they made up their minds that something mu3t be done next session to oure such a filthy state of affairs." If the motive had been to save the loss of bo muoh valuable property, and tbe oensaquent importation of apples and apple jam, one could have understood it better, and if farmers and fruitgrowers could be taught to estimate the value of their losses from such causes and the methods of saving them, there can be no doubt that it wonld do more good than any obnoxious and harsh legislative measures that could be invented to keep the worms out of apple jam.— Natdbalist. - •