A TOUR IN AUSTRALIA. 1 23 



tracted either fungus or insect diseases, have not been able to 

 combat the pests successfully unless an opposing parasite made 

 its appearance, and in several instances this has been the case. 

 What will likely prove to be a very troublesome gall disease was 

 seen in Tasmania, and, strangely enough, its identification is 

 still incomplete. The effects upon the tree are similar to that 

 caused by the chalcid in our gum plantations, although perhaps 

 the destruction is less rapid. Interesting experiments are being 

 carried on in Hobart, where the entomologist is endeavouring 

 to breed out a suppressing parasite. In my presence a branch 

 deformity was opened and revealed a half-hatched Go7iipieri{S sp. 

 Co-operation between the Commonwealth and Dominion ento- 

 mologists and foresters will undoubtedly hasten the solution of 

 what appears to be an obscure gum tree disease. 



There is little prospect of any remedial measures being found 

 for the blue gum chalcid sufficiently early to save badly affected 

 plantations, and we are thus faced with the necessity of clean 

 cutting the E. globulus stands at no distant date. 



The scale disease does not affect trees in Australia to such an 

 extent, owing to the influence of opposing insects. 



The weevil Gonipterus reticularis is doing a fair amount of 

 damage, not only in the Commonwealth, but in South Africa, 

 where the defoliation of gums is at the present moment causing 

 much anxiety to the forestry authorities. There is no doubt 

 that the softer-foliaged species will suffer most acutely during 

 an abnormally dry season following upon a mild winter, and we 

 can only look to the accidental visitation or artificial colonisa- 

 tion of a natural enemy to bring about the elimination of the 

 destructive weevils. 



I am convinced that our Dominion Biological Branch of the 

 Department of Agriculture is quite alive to the importance of 

 introducing measures for the suppression of timber-tree pests, and 

 with the enthusiastic co-operation of foresters, good results may 

 be anticipated from the Department's present investigations. 



In the meantime the wisdom of afforesting with species of 

 eucalypts more immune from the attacks of both insect and 

 fungus pests is apparent ; but there can be no doubt that very 

 light surfaces covering gravelly strata are decidedly unsuitable 

 for the production of good hardwood, 



Regeneratio7i.—Y.?i.z\\ state evidently realises the extreme im- 

 portance of fostering the regeneration of gums. The system 



