president's address. 41 



It has been open to doubt whether some of our interstate 

 regulations were not retaliatory, or passed in the interest of 

 the growers in one State against the importing ones ; but, by 

 means of conferences consisting of the interstate producers, 

 inspectors, and Cabinet Ministers, this feeling has passed, 

 and our import and export laws are now working harmoni- 

 ously. 



On looking back we can only wish that the disastrous 

 results of the casual introduction of insects, birds, rabbits, 

 prickly pear, and noxious weeds had been recognised, and 

 action taken even twenty-five years ago; vast sums could 

 then have been saved to the whole of Australia. 



The good results obtained from the administration of the 

 internal laws of this State, in the compulsory inspection of 

 orchards, have been very striking. In the first instance, it 

 has led to the destruction of an enormous number of worth- 

 less, neglected fruit-trees that were always a breeding-ground 

 for pests, and a menace to the commercial orchards. The 

 owners have found it much simpler )to cut down and burn 

 them, than to clean and bandage, as they ar& otherwise com- 

 pelled to do by the regulations of the Vegetation Diseases 

 Act. The compulsory collection and destruction of all wind- 

 falls, damaged and infected fruit has reduced the ravages of 

 the fruit-flies to a minimum, and made a marked difference 

 in the number of codling moth grubs; while it has proved 

 to the orchardists collectively, the value of these methods, 

 to which many of them were opposed. 



We have learned many things in the study of economic 

 entomology in regard to the relation of plant and insecti life. 

 We have proved that if plants are well fed, planted in suit- 

 able well-drained land, and the soil around them well culti- 

 vated to retain the surface-moisture, they are very much 

 better fitted to resist insect-attacks than trees in which thes€ 

 conditions have been neglected. 



With the improved modern methods of spraying, we can 

 satisfactorily destroy many of the worst insect-pests. In the 



