FIREBLIGHT OUTBREAK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18253, 23 November 1933, Page 5

FIREBLIGHT OUTBREAK

SEVERE AT WAIROA (■! (SHORN E FO RTUNATE A fairly severe outbreak of lircblight has occurred at Wairoa this season, but in Gisborne there has been no new infection so far. Fireblight first came to Wairoa a few years ago, following the initial Gisborne visitation. It lias been kept fairly well under control in tho Gisborne district, and no serious damage was caused here last season.

The orchard instructor, Air P. Everett, returned to Gisborne yesterday after a visit to Wairoa, and he told a pressman to-day that Wairoa orchards had a fairly severe blossom and fruit infection in almost all varieties of apples and pears. Fortunately, lie added, the disease did not become active until most varieties had set a fair crop, but the late flowering varieties and the odd flowers that came out later than the majority on all varieties, have been affected seriously. Most of the trees show several dozen blossom clusters affected. Growers will bo able to help in preventing tho spread of the disease by cutting and burning tile affected twigs as they show signs of infection. In pears, particularly, the operation referred to would help in preventing the disease getting into the larger limbs. So far this season, Mr. Everett added, lie had not noticed any new infection in Gisborne, but it was almost certain that a little would show up later in the season.