OECHARD BLIGHT AND PESTS.

Colonist, Volume XLI, Issue 9257, 23 August 1898, Page 3

OECHARD BLIGHT AND PESTS.

To the Editor of The Colonist,

Sir,— ln reply to Mr Erie Sparrow's letter from Takaka, dated August 9th, and published in your issue of the 16th instant, I may here state that many of us young colonists who have now fallen into possession of the old estates consider it a burning disgraoe that the original occupiers of the land should have left and saddled the soil with suoh an everlasting curse as has been handed down in the form of gorse, briers, quicks, and blackberries, which all harbor blight pests, and more especially tbe old quick hedges, which are full of the scaly and leech blights— even on the very tops of the hills you can find them. Undoubtedly, the first attempt of all fruitgrowers should be to eradicate all old hedges, and replace them with wire or palirg fences around their orchards and paddocks.

I take thi3 trouble to give my fellow fruitgrowers the following information. I have just removed 50 apple trees, which had been planted indiscriminately amongst briers and quicks, the trees having consequently become literally smothered with scaly blight, and " bark bound," although I know it to be a fact that tha young trees, when first planted by my friend, were comparatively free from blight. When removing tne trees in question from ths old plantation to the new site, and not oaring whether tha trees lived or not, watohing my opportunity, I submerged the barrel of each tree in sea water for one second, taking care not to allow the sea water to touch the roots. Then I dried the trees on an incline bank, and planted them immediately afterwards. The result is that the trees hare now recovered, and taken a remarkable new growth, no longer bark bound, and the scaly blight has disappeared. I have for many years made use of sea water for sheep-dipping purposes, also for a drench for lambs suffering with lung-worm —a half-pint to the dose. I would recommend that all young fruit trees, before planting, be dipped in sea water. Fruitgrowers interested are welcome to inspect my trees. — Yours, &c, James T. Macjuy. Woodvale, Suburban North. August 20th, 1898.