THE CODLIN MOTH.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2124, 18 February 1886, Page 3

THE CODLIN MOTH.

(Nelson Mail.) AmoKO the many blights that rendn fruit growing so troublesome and pieuuious un occupation, that known as the "todhn moth "i« the most dithoarteniHg. E.icli of the diseases to which fruit is li.il>le m;i\ have its remedy, but <.n tiial it is ofti-n found too costly in tiuie and motiov m both to be really available. It i- snmi'what cheering theieforc to be able to -tate frnm the experience of the owner of <i Hoim-liiug orchard that the remedy proposed fm the codlin moth in the report of the Paili.imentary Committee on fuut 1 »litrl»t-» is practically valuable and (flicu'iit. Having applied, as rec tmmended in the Report, a weak bolution "f the poison know as " Paris Green" to his apple tiees, found it answer the intended puipos) in greatly mitigating (thnugh not at once in preventing) the evil. The piopoition employed vu about a small tea-spoonful of the poison to two gallon* of water, the application being made by means of a syringe, in the spring, and repeated a little later on. In the particular case referred to the 16th and 30th No\ ember were the daya on which the dose was administered, but the proper time is soon after the ; blossom has dropped as the young f i nit is 1 beginning to form. Probably the quantity of Paris Green mentioned above is unnecessarily large, but, computed with the benefit, the cost even of this application is immaterial. Without resulting to any of any of the other modes of destroying the moth there is reasonable expectation of greatly reducing the mischief done by it to th« apple, but with the help of the bands round the trunks of the treea in which the grub »ecTetes itself, and perhaps with the aid of a lantern or two to attract the moths to destruction, a complete extirpation is to be hoped for. A weak solution <>f Paris CJreen (perhaps half the strength of tli.it already suggested) has, we are told, been found to be vety efficient in the destruction of the " leech" slug, which home regard as even more mischievous than all the blights put together. The Paris Green remedy would bo found much cheaper for this purpose than the ordinal y one of lielle bore, but it would probably ha\e to be applied more cautiously while the fruit remained on the tree. The Parliamentary Committee referred to Above recommended the " compilation of reports on the various insect pests which do no much damage in the colony, to be published in » concise form and hold at a lowprice to secure it wide distribution.'' It is to be regretted that this suggestion has not yet been given effect to, as no doubt there must bo a very large number of the rural population who would gladly a\ail them•elves of any knowledge thus placed at their disposal with the greatest benefit to themselves and advantage to the colony.