E. J. BUTLER 



2t 



were attended by delegates of some 30 States and Colonies, and the Convention, 

 as finally drafted, se».aircd iniai\imons support, subject to ratification by 

 tlie Governments of the countries concerned. Tlic outbreak of war lias 

 delayed ratification in most cases and as some differences of opinion regarding 

 certain clauses of the Convention were becoming apparent in several countries,^ 

 it is doubtless an advantage that further time has been gained for discussion. 

 Since the question of the adhereiice of India is not yet decided, it maybe useful 

 to examine the leading features of the Convention in the light of the conclusions 

 arrived at in the earlier part of this note, for it is evident that any restrictive 

 measures of the kind proposed should be based on the know^i facts re"aTdin<^ 

 the dissemination of plant parasites. 



The Rome Convention (See Appendix II) proposes to control the inter- 

 stnte circulation of horticultural stock (living plants, cuttings, grafts, flowering 

 bulbs and cut flowers), with certain exceptions mentioned below. Each 

 adhering State pledges itself not to admit such stock without a certificate that 

 its sanitary condition is satisfactory and also (where recpiired) that it is free 

 from certain specified diseases. 



In order to be in a positioii to grant such certificates, each State undertakes 

 to sft up a CTOverument Service of Phytopathology, the duties of which will 

 be to supervise nurseries and other establishments engaged in trade in living 

 plants (with the exceptions referred to) and to ins]iect cultuTes or consignments 

 (or both) intended for export. 



There must be one Oi' more Government research centies in each countrv ; 

 the appearance of diseases and pests and the localities infected ought to be 

 recorded (but this information need not be notified to other adhering States) ; 

 measures ought to be taken to prevent or check plant diseases ; and there 

 ought to be control of the transport and packing of the plants destined for 

 export that come under the Convention. Each State nmst take legislative aiul 

 administrative steps necessaiy to give effect to those requirements and to 

 punish breaches of the regulations. 



To enable each adhering State to know \\hat specific diseases must Ite 

 mentioned in the certificates given within that State to nursery stock intended 

 for export, every adhering country will prepare a list of the diseases against 

 which it wishes to guard itself. These lists will all be furnished to the Go\ern- 

 ment Phytopathological Service of each countjy, and when a consignment 



' See Gardeners' Chronicle, 3rd Ser. LVT, 1914, pp. 94, .3.38, .3.")0 ; Proc. 3;rf International 

 Congress ofTrepical Agricnltitrs, London, 1914, pp. 109-117 & .388-391 : Trmis. if)., 1, 191f>. p. 125. 

 Ann. Applied Biology I, 1914, p. 113 ; Journ. Economic Biology, X, 1915, p. 42. 



