26 Insect Pests and Plant Diseases. [april, 



Certified and non-certified Stocks of Immune Varieties. — 

 To prevent the introduction of any " seed " potatoes other 

 than true and pure stocks of immune varieties into those areas 

 infected with wart disease, the Ministry recently restricted 

 such introduction to those stocks which had been inspected 

 during growth and certified as satisfactory in those respects. 

 The notification of this policy was, however, accompanied 

 by the announcement that should the supplies of certified 

 stocks be found insufficient to meet the demand, the Ministry 

 would be prepared to licence certain non-certified stocks. 



The results of careful investigation seemed to show that the 

 certified stocks of " Golden Wonder " and " Kerr's Pink " 

 were becoming exhausted, and the Ministry is, therefore, 

 prepared to grant licences for the introduction into infected 

 areas of non-certified stocks of these two varieties. 



Applications for licences should be made to the Secretary, 

 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, 72, Victoria Street, 

 London, S.W. 1. In the case of stocks grown in England and 

 Wales, the potatoes will be examined before licences are 

 granted. In the case of stocks from Scotland, licences will 

 be granted subject to the inspection of the seed upon arrival 

 at its destination, and without prejudice to any action the 

 Ministry may think fit to take as the result of such inspection. 



Merchants have been reminded that in the case of any sale 

 of certified stocks or of licensed non-certified stocks, the relative 

 certificate or licence number must be given to the customer 

 in the invoice or other written document. 



The technical advisers of the Ministry are giving careful 



attention to the question of preventing the introduction into 



this country of insect pests and plant 

 Insect Pests and diseases frQm abroad 



Plant Diseases. _ ,1 



Several countries already possess the 



safeguards lacking in England ; for instance, the United 

 States and Cape Colony prohibit altogether the importation 

 of plants except under special permit. Such a policy, if adopted 

 in this country, would present obstacles to the development 

 of agriculture and horticulture and would probably not meet 

 with the approval of growers ; while the alternative plan of 

 placing potentially dangerous host plants in quarantine for 

 a definite period is open to criticism on the grounds of expense 

 and 'delay. The quarantine system, however, has many good 

 points and might with advantage be adopted in this country. 

 In any case, a system of inspection at ports of entry might be 



