19-21.] Report for 1019 ok Plant Pests. 471 



exclusive of flower seeds, canary seed, pine and fir seed, hemp 

 seed, flax seed, lupine, rape seed and seeds of all other oil plants. 



As originally published, the Proclamation included flower 

 seeds. A later Decree, however, rectified this and exempted 

 them as from 4th April, 1921, from the import prohibition. 

 Flower seeds may therefore be imported into Sweden. 



In introducing his new programme to the Prussian Landtag, 



Herr Warmbold, the Minister of Agriculture, stated that as agri- 



. cultural production is at the present time 



Prussian Pro- , , \ < f -u £ 



only about bO or 70 per cent, or that ot pre- 



gramme ol ^ , i. • j 



f . ,^ war days, certam measures are proposed 



AgriculturB. .' . 



° ' with a view to increasing production up to 



the pre-war standard. These included a larger number of land 

 settlements, which would, it is hoped, by increasing the number 

 of small owners, attract people from the towns to the land and 

 keep them there. The agricultural population was decreasing 

 rapidlv even before the War : in 1914 it was only about 28 per 

 cent, of the whole Prussian population. It was hoped to create 

 4.000 new settlements in 1921. It is proposed that increased pro- 

 duction of the soil already cultivated shall be encouraged by more 

 State credits to farmers for purchasing fertilisers, while 

 moors and waste land, particularly around the coasts, will be 

 prepared for cultivation. The production of nitrates, which has 

 lately been increased greatly, will have to be devoted entirely 

 to the needs of agriculture. The working capital of farmers 

 should in urgent cases be assisted by State credits. The number 

 of schools of agriculture would have to be increased and the 

 curnculum improved : and there was need of greater security 

 for af^rieulturists and peasants against looting, theft and other 

 risks. The present system of arbitration between employer and 

 labourer also needed revising. 



A PiEPORT on the occurrence of insect and fungus pests on 



plants in England and Wales for the year 1919 was recently 



T» ^ M. t iftift issued by the Ministrv. This publication 

 Report for 1919 j i j i.u \ in 



1,, f -D f was delayed through unavoidable cir- 

 on iriant iresis. ' i j ^ • p -i , 



cumstances, but its chiei value — to pre?eive 



in permanent record a detailed survey of the situation in re<j;ard 

 to plant pests year bv year — is achieved. 



In the year in question Frit Fly caused heavy losses, though 

 these were perhaps not quite so serious as the wet character of 

 the spring and the consequent delay in the sowing of oats wou^^ 

 have suggested. The North Midland Counties seem to have 



