THE CAWTHRON INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 14

THE CAWTHRON INSTITUTE.

GRATIFYING SUCCESS ACHIEVED NELSON, February 29.

During the past year the work of the Cawthrcn Institute, under the direction of Professor Easterfield, has again been attended with gratifying success, and there has been a considerable expansion in the scope of the research problems undertaken, states the annual report. Acknowledgment is made of the financial assistance from various sources, without which the activities of the institute would have been seriously restricted. Tn the Department of Agriculture all the former lines of work in connection with soil survey, manurial experiments, crop cultivation, fruit culture, and cool storage have been vigorously prosecuted by Messrs Rigg and Tiller and their assistants, while additional schemes, notably that for the investigation of the mineral content of pastures, have been brought into full operation.

In order to cope with the increased volume of laboratory work involved, an analytical chemist, Dr Askew, has been added to the staff. Important practical results, especially with regard to certain diseases of on the Mbutere Hills type of soil have already been obtained. In another direction experiments with the Pakihi lands, which were commenced towards the close of 1927, have so far proved remarkably successful. If the experiments which are now being put in hand on a larger scile confirm the resuits already obtained on small plots, there is no doubt that large areas of land at present lying completely neglected will at no distant date be brought into cultivation, and will add greatly to the prosperity of the West Coast and Golden P>ay districts.

In the Department of Mycology, under Dr Curtis, methods of controlling “ brown rot ” have been evolved which will enable fruitgrowers practically to eliminate their losses from this sourc*. Fungal diseases affecting a large number of commercial plants, such as cereals, tobacco, hops, tomatoes, pip fruits, and pines, have been investigated, and valuable advice has been giver to the growers. Th connection between fungal disease and malnutrition has received careful atten-

tion. and important deductions of practical benefit have been made. Varieties of hops, tomatoes, and various cereals a'ppearing to be immune to specific diseases have been either introduced from abroad or selected from local gardens and kept under observation. Several of these varieties have been found to be highly resistant to disease, and may therefore prove of great economic value. The position of chief of the Entomo-

logical Department, rendered vacant by the promotion of Dr Tillyard to crTi‘*f entomologist in the Commonwealth vf Australia, was filled by the appointment of Dr Miller, who had already had a distinguished career in the service of the New Zealand Government. Assisted by Messrs Tonnoir and Gourlay, he has carried out a promising series of experiments to secure control of various.noxious weeds and insects by means of parasites and sprays. A great measure of sue cess has been stained in dealing with pear midge oak scale. A parasite is now well established in the oak trees of Nelson and Canterbury, and is slowly but surely eradicating the pest. A parasite for mealy bug has been successfully introduced, and is now being bred in large numbers for distribution. The life his-

tory of the bronze beetle has been fully worked out by Miss Lysaght, and control experiments with insecticides are being made. For many years attempts have been made to import some parasite that would attack the various species of blowfly, especially those species that cause so much loss to sheep farmers. Dr Miller is to be congratulated upon having at last surmounted all difficulties, and the parasite “ lalysia ” is Being despatched not only to all parts of New Zealand, but tc Australia as well. Much attention has also been devoted to forest entomology, and'a parasite to destroy hortail fly has been imported and released, and may already be observed in active operation among the pine trees about Nelson. Schemes for greatly extending the work of forest entomology are now under consideration. Many members of the staff have done important work in the domain of ” pure science.” Mr Philpott, in particular,

has continued his extensive researches into the lepidoptera of this Dominion, and has, moreover, presented to the Cawthron Institute his magnificent collection of New Zealand moths and butterflies—a most valuable gift.