BLIGHT ON FIR TREKS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2815, 1 October 1883, Page 3

BLIGHT ON FIR TREKS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THB TIMABT7 HRBALD. [ Sib, — I think th»t if fie facli of tlio rapid increase of Aphides were morn generally known, wo should not find it neooisary to lo >k to the earth fur * lolntion of the difficulty, but rather to the, nir. The following quotation from "Lull's Principles of Gjology " (vol. 2, page 443) may bo of ii.tereat lo your readers : — " Neit to locusts the Aphides perhaps exert the greatest power over tlio vegotable world, and like Ihom, are sometime* fo nuinirous as to darken tho air, Tha mnltiplication of the little cr-ulures is without parallel, almo«t every plant, has its peculiar apecie». Beiumur hai proved thit m fife generations one Aphis miy bo t.h» progenator of 5,9& i 000,000 descendants j and it 11 supposed that m one year there mar be twenty generntioi.f." I think we need not reckon up what the increase would be m a year. Looking to this astounding fact, and tlio sslubritY of our climate, the rapid growth of this pest is not to my mind at all a?toniehinß ; all animate life teems to be much more prolific hero than m tlio Old We rid. Tim winter is not (OTero enough to check it fo effectually as m colder climates j m fact its only eneinv that I know of m New Zjiland is the ' whito eye or blight bird," which only visits us m numbers for a short season m tho year. Thoro for« the blight coming most probibly, as your porrespondent" A" «ay«, m the flr»t instancu m tho seed of tbo pine (although it is qu tj within the bound* of possibility lhat it could bo borno thousands of mileg m the air, and yet live) finding a congenial climate, and ■nost probably got rid of its natural onemie«, rapidly increases as it Im dono, and will xintiauo to do until resrarch has taught us what are its natural enemies at Home. Till ;hen we will never be able to cope with the ml to sDy purpose. I am, &c, W. B. Babkbb. Waikoniui, Hangitnts, Sept. 28th, 1883.