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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 20, 1913. 



FUNGUS NOTES. 



CEYLON LEGISLATION AGAINST PLANT 



PESTS AND DISEASES. 



A recent bulletin (No. 6, September 1913) of the 

 Ceylon J)eiiiirtment of Agriculture, by Mr. F. Fetch, Mycolo- 

 gist to the Department, gives particulars of the steps taken 

 from time to time in that country to prevent the imiiortation 

 of plant pests and diseases, and to deal v^ith those already 

 existing in the colony which are actually or potentially 

 destructive. Legislation to this end was begun with the 

 issue of an Ordinance in 1901, prior to which date Ceylon 

 was herself an outlaw in the matter nf plant disease protec 

 tion, every other tropical colony legislating against her 

 because of the existence in Ceylon of the coffee leaf disease. 

 Xow it is pointed out that Ceylon has led the way among 

 tropical countries by adopting a general Ordinance designed 

 to deal with diseases and pests already existing in the 

 colony Legislation of the first named character already 

 exists to a greater or lesser extent in the West Indian 

 colonies, and efforts have been made, particularly in con- 

 nexion with the leaf-blister mite of cotton towards legislative 

 control of existing pests. In view of the necessity that may 

 arise however, for measures of a more general nature, 

 the information contained in the above-mentioned bulletin 

 is of interest. 



REGUL.^TION 0I-' IMTORT^. 



The Ordinance of 1901 above referred to, was of the 

 usual character, prescribing fumigation of imported plants, 

 fruit, and seeds, and empowering the issue of special 

 regulations from time to time. Advantage has been taken 

 of this to proliibit the importation of cacio plants from the 

 Dutch East Indian colonies, to secure the compulsory dis- 

 infection of Indian tea seed and the fumigation of all 

 coconuts imported in the husks. All living plants, bulbs, 

 etc , oranges and other fruits of the Citrus family, and cotton 

 seed are subject to fumigation with hydrocyanic acid 

 unless accompanied by a certificate that they have 

 already undergone such treatment. Tea seed is fumigated 

 with formalin vapour. .'\< illustrative of the amount of work 

 entailed, it may be noted that during 1912, 1,1-1(S cases of 

 oranges and lemons, 4,'J77 cases of tea seed and -jG-t pack- 

 ages of bulbs, plants, etc., were treated at the fumigatorium. 

 It will be seen that the responsibility of deciding whether 

 plants shall be fumigated or not is taken out of the 

 hands of the examining ntlicer. In view of the imi)Ossibility 

 of making sure of the absence of diseases or pests even bj- 

 the most careful inspection, much less by examination under 

 the conditions involved in the handling of large amounts of 

 material at the port of entry, this is probably the best method 

 to adopt. It is indeed the only method possible unless the 

 unhurried services of an official or officials, expert in both 

 mycology and entomology, are available, a combination of 

 circumstances of unusual occurrence. I'nder either system 

 difficult problems must arise from time to time. For instance, 

 ■what is to be done with a large consignment of seeds repre 

 senting scores or hundreds of species, put up in attractive 

 packages ready for sale, and possibly containing the germs of 

 a great variety of diseases some of which are impossible of 

 detection, or of elimination without the destruction of the 

 seed.' It must be recognized that only a degree of .safety, and 

 probably not a very large one, is obtainable by any method 

 short of the total exclusion of plants known to be susceptible 

 to particular diseases which it is desired to avoid. Fumiga- 



tion with cyanogen has come to be accepted as a satisfying 

 ritual for the exorcism of pests and diseases, but there is 

 reason to doubt whether in a large number of its applications 

 the results would bear the test of critical examination. One 

 proviso which experience in the West Indies has proved to 

 be a necessary one, is to the effect that plants will not be 

 exempted on the strength of a certificate of inspection from 

 their place of origin. 



INTERNAL LEGISL.VTIOS. 



Legislation of this nature has been evolved in Ceylon in 

 close consultation with the Planters' Association and Agricul- 

 tural Societies so that the inevitable objections to Government 

 interference should be minimised as much as possible. 

 I )raft Ordinances framed by a L ommittee appointed by 

 the Government were published, and submitted to and dis- 

 cussed at length by the Ceylon Planters' Association and the 

 Agricultural Society. They were issued in legal form in 

 Ordinance Xo. 6, 1907, reprinted in full in the bulletin under 

 review. The Ordinance provides for the issue of schedules 

 specifying: (a) the insects, parasitic plants, or fungi which are 

 declared to be pests for the purposes of the Oidinance, and (b) 

 the measures which it shall be within the power of I he Plant 

 Pests Boards to require to be taken for the prevention, arrest, 

 or eradication of such pests. The Plant Pests Boards with 

 whom the responsibility for the execution of the Ordinance 

 rests are appointed by the Governor in consultation with 

 representative agricultural bodies. They consist for each 

 district of the Government agents of the province and 

 district respectively, and not less than four nor more than 

 seven persons as unoiBcial members appointed to hold ofHce 

 for a term of three years. Two of these persons at least are to 

 be recommended by the loc il planters' association or associa- 

 tions, and of the remainder, one at least selected as a repre- 

 sentative of each of the racial communities which form any 

 considerable proportion of the owners or occupiers of land in 

 the district It is the duty of any member to report the 

 existence or suspected existence of any pest. The boards 

 have powers to issue notices requiring the carrying out 

 of such measures aa they think desirable, provided that 

 these conform with the schedules issued by the Governor-in- 

 Executive Council under the Ordinance. They have tlie 

 power of entry for inspection and also for carrying out the 

 required measures at the cost of the owners and occupiers, in 

 case of their failure or neglect to comply with the notices 

 served on them. The (lovernor in-Executive Cnuocil is 

 empowered to afford such compensation as he may think fit. 

 The boards are independent of each other except that they 

 are bound to give notice to those of adjoining districts of the 

 existence within their boundaries of proclaimed pests 



So far four proclamations have been made under the 

 Ordinance. The first was in order to provide for the 

 destruction of a large number of coco-nut palms blown dowa 

 by a cyclone, whose trunks it was feared would menace the 

 coco-nut industry by providing breeding places for the 

 destructive coco-nut beetles. In this case owing to the 

 destitution caused by the cyclone, government assistance had 

 to be provided in order to dispose of the trees. The next 

 proclamation was that of the stem bleeding disease of the 

 coco nut tree, and required the cutting out and burning of 

 the diseased parts of the tree, the scorching of the wound and 

 its treatment with tar. To see to these remedies being carried 

 into effect, twelve inspectors held ofKce for about fifteeo 

 months. 



In 1912, shot-hole borer of tea was proclaimed, and 

 more recently canker of Ilevea has been proclaimed at the 

 request of the rubber planters in order that there may lie no 

 delay should concerted action be necessary against this disease. 



