THE MOTH TRIBE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2805, 5 July 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE MOTH TRIBE.

to the' editor. Sill, —I hope you will forgive nio for tr-inbling your peaceful nature, but I cannot sit still upon such an important subject, that is the moth tribe. Tho fruit growers, the farmer, and cottager with vegetables are Rrcat Insets every year. Certainly we use moans to destroy, but that will never answer expectations in the moth tribe unless we adopt nature's course in conjunction. L may state that I hate had twenty-six year's experience with insect life in England and New Zealand, but with tho moth tribe we shall have to get nature to assist us as well as artificial means, which they have in the old country, which nature has supplied them with, whose food is the moths of different kinds, which are locally called bats, or leather-bats, mice bats, which fly [about in the night catching moths while we are sleeping. Now, Mr Editor, my experience is, this country will sooner or later have to be stocked with those bats, and the sooner we begin the Iretter, if the farmer's oat crops are to be saved or fruit-growers' fruit. My opinion is that those bats would be the only salvation from destruction of crops from the moth tribe, the same as at Home. I know some critics will attribute it to hard winters, but they have moths there, and if one will live any quantity will. But no one can say the bats do any harm in anyway unless it is destroying motli. they require no Government inspectors to look after them, and the Government can spend money to bring stoats and weasels to destroy all kinds of birds in the nesting season, that nest on the ground. Sir Harry Atkinson has promised this next session of Parliament to try and get a handsome sum forithe best flax-dressing machine. Are not farming and fruit-growing etc., as much or more important than the flax, I think more. I write this if you will kindly place it before your readers, if they think it is worthy uf tbeir attention from so humble u source. But I think this country should have useful things brought into it before evil ones. If you think they ought to bo imported into New Zealand, the sooner we set about it in earnest the better.—l am, etc., James Keei.ky, Nurseryman. Cambridge West. [Our correspondent does not appear to be aware of tho fact that we have bats in New Zealand, though certainly not seen in the numbers they are in the Old Country. The reason they are so scarce would perhaps in some measure be accounted for by the lack of food, in all probability as the moths increase so will the bats. Nature generally finds a balance.—Ed.]