384 



The tree from which these apples were picked blossomed profusely and 

 produced a good crop of young apples, but by July 24 all but two dozen 

 had fallen to the condition of this. The figure is drawn from specimens 

 picked on that date and sent in by Mr. Webster, and very well illus- 

 trates the work of the Plum Ourculio, as we have often witnessed it as 

 much as twenty years ago. 



THE VEDALIA IN NEW ZEALAND. — RECENT INCREASE OF ICERYA. 



* * * Going back to Vedalia. All parts of New Zealand have 

 been importing plants from Australia for very many years, particularly 

 Citrus and Acacia. Auckland was the first visited by Icerya, which was 

 discovered on an imported plant (Acacia undulata), but I am not pre- 

 pared to say the individual plant was imported. It is rather singular 

 that in some districts it appeared first on Australian acacias (plants it 

 seems even more partial to than Citrus, although it is not so rapidly 

 fatal to them), plants grown from seed being the first attacked in districts. 

 Auckland was also the first district cleared by Yedalia, and then Taka- 

 puna, Wairoa, South Waikomiti, etc., where the Citrus and other plants 

 ivere derived from Auckland. Auckland was cleared so rapidly that no 

 one knew how, till it was over, and it would have also remained a mys- 

 tery with the other places had I not heard of it and gone there to find 

 the cause. Napier and Nelson are the other two infested parts, and 

 they import direct from Australia and separately. 



At Napier they received the beetle later than Auckland, but at Nel- 

 son they have missed it, and up to the present time the Icerya is going 

 on unchecked. I urged them to procure the beetle from Napier while it 

 was yet time, and Mr. Maskell got them the Lestophonus flies (which 

 have done no good). Hamilton sent them the beetles, but Mr. Maskell 

 wrote to me a few posts ago to say that it was doing no good and did 

 not seem to increase. The fact is I feel sure he has sent them the ivrong 

 insect. It is deplorable to see people making such mistakes and no 

 properly qualified person to set them right. There is one thing I must 

 beg to draw your attention to, and that is, that in my late tour round 

 the North I find (as might be expected) leery a returning everywhere and 

 not a trace of Yedalia ; in many places, and around Auckland in partic- 

 lar, it is increasing fast and bids fair to become as bad as ever. This 

 should warn you to take care of Vedalia and conserve a few colonies; 

 the reason is very obvious. * * * — [E. Allan Wight, Paeroa, Auck- 

 land, New Zealand, March 15, 1890. 



THE PHYLLOXERA IN NEW ZEALAND. 



* * * I am ashamed to say that our Government has positively 

 refused to permit me to land any vines from the United States under 

 any circumstances, for fear of importing Phylloxera vastairix, of which a 



