Peach Blight.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1782, 13 January 1886, Page 3

Peach Blight.

' Writing about tha peach blight and the Tiaw tha Maori* taka ot it, the Waikato Time* u;a The phenomena—if such it eao b* called—h«a alio excited the wonder and attention ot the Maori*, who are at a loe* to account lor tha disappearance of their farorita fruit, upon which in former jean they *o largely relied. They are inclined to attribute it to tha change which tb* climate ha* undergone, and for very good reaaon* Simultaneous with the falling off in the peach cron, the barria* of the miro, matai, kabikatea, and rimn, which at one time were a source ef food ta the Maori*, began to di«appear. Tha tree* gradually ceased to hear, and with very disastrous results so far as the ornithology ot the country is concerned. The berries of tbs miro were the staple‘food; of tb* tni, pigeon, wild parrot, bellbird, or korimako and others, and since tha trass have ceased to bear, thoae birds have become remarkably scarce throughout the country. Tb* kerimako, in fact, has disappeared altogether, and its disappearance can only be attributed to this cause. The Maoris were at a loss to account for the falling off in the berry crop, which interfered .o greatly with their food supply ; and this naturally gave play to the talents ■■l the prophets. These gentlemen attributed it to the Maoris having deserted the faith <>f their fathers for that of the Kuropeans, Providence sending tha blight as a punishment for their wickedness. Bnt when the peach began to decay they concluded that the cause mnat be other then the desertion of (heir faith, as each a eanaa eannot effect the peach, which was an exotic, and thertfore belonged to the ptkeha.