■ 274 



THE AORICT^LTrRAL NEWS. 



August 29, 1914. 



Teserves always rcct'ivos cimsiilcratidii liecau.se of its 

 climatic significance, but the fact remains that in 

 many countries the (juestion of wild plant life .is 

 a whole is now receiving careful rhought from imiv 

 point of view. 



Amongst the islantls of the West Inilies we find 

 ;i eoiisideralile amount of vai'iation in the pi'oportion of 

 wild laud to eultixated. Barbados is perhaps the chief 

 example (jf a place where nearly the entire surface is, oi' 

 has been at one time brought under the plough; 

 Dominica on the other hand affords an instance when- 

 by far the gi-eater portion of the land is under forest; 

 whilst Antigua is a case where a fair amount of the 

 land is under bush. In these places the considerations 

 given in the preceding paragraphs apply to some extent, 

 and there can be no doubt that in Dominica whei'e the 

 wild flora ju id tiniiia so largely ])redominate, that they 

 ."xert a safe-guardiiig .irtioii u]>oii tlie cultivati^d |il,-ints 

 in the matter of maintaining a satisfactory balance of 

 nature. Naturally the elevated torests in that island 

 j-ising in plaros to a height of .5,000 feet ensures a fully 

 :ide([uate rainfall which has an impoi'tant influence 

 upon the pai-asitisrn of cultivated crops. But even 

 -though indirect it will be seen that the natural vegeta- 

 tion has a useful and irnportiint influence upon cultiva- 

 tion. The ([uestion of the effect of buiklings, drainage, 

 etc.. upon wild growth does not have to be taken into 

 consideration to so great an extent in these colonies 

 • as the sidtjoi-t does in industrial countries. But at the 

 -.same time it Is vei-y desirable that the growth of ti-ees 

 in tropic-al lowiis should be eneoui'aged and the 

 maxiliiuin --iHir.' .illowed ;is sites tor residences. 



.Although till TO an- several reasons, as indicated 

 above. Avhich m.iki it ilesirable to limit the extent to 

 whieh a vvilil flor.-i should be sacrificed, it is difficult to 

 legislate in thi^ direction except in the case of forests 

 .-and certain assoriations of plants like those inhabiting 

 aSand dunes which have special protective functions. 

 In Connexion with the preservation of the natural flora 

 one has to lioar in mind, moreover, the question of 

 \\ee(ls uliiili must l)e considei'cd in all proposals bearing 

 upon I lie )iroiocrioii of wild plants. 



Il is ill I ho ease ofeultivated erops that most legis- 

 lation lia.sl"iii rharted tor their jirotection. Thisimjior- 

 taiit subject lias lieeii dealt with from time to timi' in 

 this jonriial. ;;iiii it may bi.' intei-estiiig to give a review 

 of the Miii.iii:- kinds iif legislation .-idopted in various 

 tropical or ^iil) 1 ro|iiiiil i-oimtries for the maintenance 

 of health .imongsi eiojis. Perhaps the most interesting 

 rase of it'eent vears has been the' action taken in 



Mauritius in regard to the attacks of hardback grub.s 

 upon sugar-cane. In this case, as in most of the others, 

 the protection lies in the adoption of efficient (|uaran- 

 tine regulation which for the sake of convenience may 

 be called external legislation, in contra-distinction to 

 ordinances affecting the actual cultivation of erops, 

 which may be desciibed a.s examples of internal legis- 

 lation. In Mauritius, the imp<irtation of .soil or 

 oig;iiiic matter coiit.'iining ])laiits or not is .-ibsolutelv 

 jirohiliited. Likewise the importation of grape vine 

 cuttings is not allowed unless accompanied by a certi- 

 ficate of health fi-oiii the local authority in the country 

 oforiijin. 



This prohibition was enforced because ot 

 the t;u:-t that the hardback beetles apjiear to have 

 lioeii iiiniorted into Mauritius in soil containing 

 sugar-cane cuttings. It may be pointed out that 

 in Barbados the pi'st iiti<l(>r consideration is para- 

 sitized by a wasp wliieh prevents the hardback grub 

 becoming a serious enemy in that colony. Xiimbers 

 of these pai'asites have been imported into Mauritius, 

 where it is hoped they will establish themselves, and 

 act as a check upon the ravages of the hardback grub. 

 This, of course, islieside the point as regards the quaran- 

 tine law, theoliject of which is not to att.e>mpt to ivna-dy 

 the plague, but to ensure that a simil.ir importefl 

 pest does not arrive again in the future. 



A particularly good examjile of wh.-it has been lost 

 through belated legislation is afforded by the case of the 

 American cotton boll weevil. Thi.s is regarded as the 

 most destructive^pest known, being responsible, it is said 

 for an annual loss amounting to over .£5.000.000. Methofls 

 have been enforced for. keeping down this pest, but in 

 spite of strenuous efforts it continues to spread partic- 

 iilarlv when the climatic conditions are such as to favour 

 the attacks of the insect. Authorities state that if the 

 growing of cotton in the originally small inti'cted ;irea 

 had been prohibited from the comnienci'meiit, the pest 

 would havi' been confined to a small area bordei'ing on 

 the Kio ({rande, wliereas now the pest pi'evails over 

 thousands and thousands of s(]uare miles. It is not 

 surprising that in the face of an experience like this the 

 United States Department of Agriculture is especially 

 jirompt in legislating, not merely to stop but to prevent 

 the introduction of new pests. The ]>lant quai-antine 

 service in California, for example, is notably effieiciit. 

 At San Francisco and other ports of entry even passen- 

 gers' baggage is examined with a view to detection oi' 

 pests a'.id diseases (especially the fruit fly); in.sect- 



