88 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The actual loss in wealth by disease and insect enemies of plants 

 is inconceivably great, but certain historic examples stand out in 

 particular. 



The destruction of the French vineyards is a well-known example, 

 when the loss amounted to 400 million pounds in twenty years from 

 the ravages of phylloxera. The vine industry was reinstated by 

 the introduction of an American variety, of which the phylloxera 

 does not seriously injure the roots, and the French vines were grafted 

 upon American stocks. 



The historic Irish famine was caused by the loss of an entire 

 year's crop of potatos from the well-known disease. 



I have not seen any estimate of the total year's loss to British 

 agriculture ; but one who knows says that it is very great, and that 

 practically every crop has its pet enemy. 



A third of the crop of hops has been destroyed in a year, with 

 the resultant loss to growers and pickers. It is estimated that the 

 annual loss to American agriculture approaches 100 million pounds ; 

 and many other well-known cases of widespread disaster could be 

 quoted to demonstrate the immense importance of the work still 

 awaiting the investigator of plant diseases and insect enemies. 



If we glance for a moment at other countries, we note that the 

 world owes a greater debt to China than is generally recognized. 

 For four thousand years an industrious and intelligent race has 

 taken intense interest in the plant industry. These people have 

 known how to develop to perfection their rich native vegetation, 

 many species of which are almost unknown to us. They have pro- 

 vided staple industries to many parts of the world, which are identified 

 with the cultivation of some particular plant. Tea, oranges, peaches, 

 and some of the best plums, for instance, originated in China, and 

 possibly the olive, as well as many industrial plants of the greatest 

 importance. 



It would be interesting to know what the Chinese could have 

 made of our native wild fruits, taking, as one example of their work, 

 a thorn-hip, which has been improved into a favourite national fruit 

 as large as a medium-sized plum. 



The American Government recognizes that agriculture, and the 

 cultivation of plants for industrial purposes, represents the greatest 

 potential wealth of their country. Since 1905 an extensive examina- 

 tion of the plant resources of China has been undertaken, under 

 Government control, in addition to enterprise elsewhere, with the 

 object of introducing industries which promise success in America. 

 Important plant-testing stations have been established, where tests 

 are made of the possibilities of the plants introduced. 



The Germans were determined to make the fullest use of the 

 vegetable wealth of their late colonies, and had subjected them to 

 minute botanical investigation, of which the results were classified 

 and published with reference to the economic possibilities. 



The British Empire possesses an immense proportion of the 



