“Locking the Stable Door, &c”

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1791, 5 February 1886, Page 2

“Locking the Stable Door, &c”

It is rather a que r rioceeding “ to lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen.” The Government are doing something akin to this just now in seizing imported fruit affected with the codlin moth, when as a matter of fact that insect has been at work in many of the orchards of this colony for year ß past. We called attention to this subject more than a year ago, and showed that the pest existed in some parts of the colony. On this point Professor Kirk reports :~ “ This pest (the codlin moth) is increasing in manv parts of the colony, but at present is not generally distributed. It is most destructive in the provincial districts of Canterbury, Marlborough and Nelson, but is not confined to them ; it is known in Westland, JWellington, and in several parts of the Auckland district. It was observed m the Auckland district about twelve years ago, and in Nelson about eight.” Certainly, the pest already exists in the colony, but it would probably become worse if the importation of fruit affected by the codlin moth were not now specially prohibited. In that way the action of the Government in preventing infected fruit from getting into the markets of the colony, may yet prove advantageous.