6 
some cases, involves a considerable amount of privation. It is stated 
that many settlers are leaving the district to procure work in other 
localities. 
At present I have but little knowledge of the blights of the 
Wellington, Taranaki, and Hawke’s Bay Districts. 
In the North Island the peach is everywhere decaying, but not- 
withstanding the depressing effect produced by the general dying-out 
of the tree, I believe its vigour may be restored, and that the most 
important step in the way of restoration will be found indicated in 
my .report. . 
Apple-scale, so troublesome in the South Island, is almost 
unknown in some districts in the North; although, from the way in 
which some native scale-insects are attacking cultivated fruit-trees, it 
will be necessary for growers to be very watchful in order to prevent 
their trees from becoming badly infested. 
Boring insects are more frequent in the northern districts than 
elsewhere; all the ordinary cultivated fruit-trees are attacked, in 
many cases with fatal results. 
White-scale (Icerya purchasi) is a serious enemy to the orange- 
grower, but may be destroyed with the greatest ease and at a trivial 
cost. 
The slug-leech is common, and causes serious loss yearly. 
Foot-rot is of a more dangerous character, and less easy to deal 
with. 
The greatest scourge in the North is unquestionably root-fungus, 
which may be found attacking fruit-trees, forest-trees, hedge-rows, 
shrubs, and even grasses—from young plants in nursery-rows to 
trees in full bearing—with the most destructive effects. 
RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 
The importation of diseased or affected fruits should be strictly 
rohibited. The orange-scale has been introduced with fruit from 
Byditey: Apples infested with codlin-moth and the apple-scale are 
occasionally imported. It forms no real objection to prohibition that 
an insect or fungus may already be established here; since a change of 
clmate often conduces to increased vigour, and the newcomer increases 
with greater rapidity than its satablitied congener. 
It is desirable that imported fruit-trees should be inspected on 
landing, although there would be great difficulties in carrying out any 
efficient system of inspection, owing to the number of ports of entry, 
and the consequent cost of stationing a duly-qualified man at each. 
The difficulties attending the inspection of affected fruit are but 
slight ; in nearly all cases the presence of the insect may be easily 
recognized. An officer of the Customs Department at each port 
might easily acquire such a knowledge of scale or of codlin-moth, for 
instance, as to be able to recognize affected fruit, and all fruit entered 
at that port should be examined by him. But the examination of 
living fruit-trees in order to detect the presence of minute fungi, or of 
