Principal Aghicultural Acts and Regulations. 351 



PRINCIPAL AGRICULTURAL ACTS OF 

 THE UNION. 



II. 



An Outline of the Agricultural Pests Act, No. 11 of 1911. 



The Act. 



'J'liE object of tliis Act is to prevent the introduction into and spread 

 w'thin the Union of insect pests, plant diseases, and lee diseases; to 

 regulate the importation into the Union of exotic animals, that is, 

 those not indigrenous to this country: and to provide for the suppres- 

 sion of locusts. 



Nurseries. — The opening' portion of the Act deals with this 

 subject; it requires every person who has a nursery to register it, 

 and provides for its inspection by an official to see wliether any insect 

 pest or disease is present. If such is the case the nursery, or part of 

 it, will be placed in quarantine ; during- that period no plants may be 

 removed from the quarantined area. Quarantine may be either for 

 a definite or indefinite period; in the latter case it may be removed 

 upon application and after inspection shows that the donger is over 

 and the fees of inspection have been paid. Unless specially exempted, 

 every nursery must be provided with an approved cliamber for the 

 disinfection of plants. Plants in a nursery found to be infected with 

 any insect pest or plant disease are liable to destruction, without com- 

 pensation, and plants not so infected but liable to become so may also 

 be ordered to be destroyed, subject to compensation. No other com- 

 pensation is provided for in the Act. 



Introduction of Plants. — Introductions of plants are governed in 

 three ways : Certain are entirely prohibited, others are subject to 

 special supervision or restriction in the matter of permits, while some 

 are not hindered in any way. N"o plants (that is, any tree, shrub, or 

 vegetation, and the fruit, leaves, cutting's, or bark thereof; also any 

 live portion of a plant; but not any seed unless specially mentioned) 

 may be imported without a permit, excepting fruit, bulbs, tubers 

 (including dahlia and other tuberous roots), vegetables, and such 

 portions of plants as cannot be propagated, but the introduction of 

 eucalyptus, acacia, or coniferous plants from oversea, also fresh g-rapes 

 and peach stones, is prohibited, wliile grape A'ines and plants of the 

 same family, sugar-canes, plants for rubber and for tea cultivation, 

 and cotton-seeds may only be introduced under permit and subject to 

 special supervision by the Government. The above list may be varied, 

 by withdrawal or addition, by proclamation, and at present it may be 

 pointed out that the grain of maize and barley, cotton-seeds with lint 

 attached, cotton-lint in which any cotton-seeds are contained, lucerne- 

 seed, and lucerne plants or any portion thereof, have been proclaimed 

 ;as proliibited introductions excepting under sjiecial permit and subject 



