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MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON VINE DISEASES BILL. 29
Mr. T. Reedy. } 8 Sept., 1856.
540. Mr. Hill.] Have you read the Bill now before the country? No.
541. Perhaps you will put it in your pocket and read it? Thank you, I will.
542. Mr. King.] Do you know Mr. Whittaker, of Fairfield ? Only, by name.
543. Do you know whether he had cuttings from Camden Park ? I have some recollection of his writing to Sir William Macarthur many years ago for some cuttings.
544. But not within your knowledge during the last year or two ? No, I am certain of that.
545. Chairman.] Have many cuttings or vines been sent to other people from Camden since the phylloxera has been observed there? No. No cuttings or rooted vines have been sent away from Camden Park since the phylloxera has been discovered there, to my knowledge. We have sent no cuttings since 1879.
546. Not since 1879? No ; we have sent no cuttings.
547. Nor vines? No.
548. Have you planted fresh vineyards? Yes.
549. Did you take the precaution of soaking the roots of your vines before planting them? Yes, we soaked them in lime-water with Elliott's or Gishurst's compound.
550. Have you ever used Jay's disinfectant? No.
551. Of course you know it is a cheap disinfectant, and a great destroyer of insects? Yes ; I do know it, but I have never seen it used, except for washing floors to kill fleas.
552. What condition are the vines at Camden Park in now? Not very healthy. We have one vineyard quite healthy.
553. Has that been treated at all? No.
554. How far is that from the infected vineyard? About a mile away.
555. And that is quite healthy? Yes ; and we have taken great pains this year, when pruning, to see whether we could find any trace of the insect on the young vines, and we could find no trace at all.
556. Those planted in sandy loam? Yes.
557. And what was the original vineyard ? The original vineyard, destroyed by floods, was planted in sandy loam.
558. I mean the one infected? That is in clay.
559. Mr. Hill.] I suppose you have no difficulty in finding out that the phylloxera is among the vines––I mean when the vines are in leaf? I should have no difficulty. I should know it directly.
560. Chairman.] Have you noticed whether the disease has infected the roots at all? Yes ; they are covered with black spots, and have the appearance as if they were burnt with a hot iron.
561. Mr. King.] Can the vineyards affected about Camden be said to be neglected vineyards? No ; none of those I know are neglected.
562. They are all worked? Yes ; men get their living from them.
563. Chairman.] How long have you been at Camden Park? Thirty-three years.
564. Were any vines introduced from any other country since you have been there? Yes; many years ago.
565. Where were they introduced from? From Veitch's nursery, England. I have no recollection how many years ago it is since the last vines were imported.
566. The last vines were imported? It is many years since we have imported any vines.
567. It is eighteen years ago since the last were imported? I am not quite certain, but it is a great many years.
568. There have been none imported since then? I do not think so.
569. Have other plants been imported? Yes ; and generally we have imported from Veitch's nursery.
570. These importations would apply to the hot-house plants, and so on? Yes.
571. Do you recollect when the last importation from Veitch's nursery to Camden took place? about eight years ago.
572. Do you recollect what plants were imported at that time? Hot-house plants––orchids.
573. Any others? No.
574. And how were these packed and sent out? In moss. Some of them were packed in close boxes in sawdust.
575. Just the roots? The bulbs.
576. Were not fruit-trees imported from Veitch's nursery in your recollection? Yes ; we have had peach-trees many years ago. I really do not know as to the time when we had these peach-trees. The disease at Camden first made its appearance in the young vineyard and not in the old, and it went on attaching itself to the young vines.
577. How far was this vineyard away from where the orchids were kept? A little better than a quarter of a mile.
578. From the hot-houses? Yes.
579. And what was growing between these hot-houses and the vineyard? Shrubbery.
580. Any oak-trees? Yes ; oak-trees, and they are very old.
581. Are any of these oak-trees affected? Yes ; I think it would be a great mistake to destroy any of the vineyards in our neighbourhood that are not affected with the insect ; for instance, there are three vineyards at Camden planted in sandy soil and quite healthy, within a few hundred yards of the diseases vineyards, and no trace has been found of the insect on those vines planted in the sand. We had a fair crop of grapes last year. The disease does not affect the flavour of the grapes, but it does the size of the fruit.
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THURSDAY,