140 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



loss, I think there is good reason why we should endeavour with the 

 co-operation of the Government to extirpate completely, if possible, the 

 disease from the gardens in our country where it has already appeared. 

 To secure this end, I consider it necessary that steps should be taken to 

 stop the spread of the disease into other localities ; a careful investigation 

 shculd be made of all the nurseries of cur country from which gooseberry- 

 plants are sold, and the importation of foreign gooseberry-plants and 

 gooseberries should be prohibited. 



" The taking of such action by the State at the present time, before 

 the disease has become established to any considerable extent (up to the 

 present time we know of only one infected locality), would certainly be 

 the most effective safeguard available against the disease. 



" In view of the above considerations, therefore, I take the liberty of 

 proposing respectfully that you, Sir, would be pleased to recommend the 

 carrying out of the following regulations : — 



" That in the gardens (nurseries) where the American gooseberry- 

 mildew occurs, all diseased bushes shall be rooted up and burnt under the 

 supervision of a District-gardener ; and as compensation for the contingent 

 loss to the various private owners, the State shall pay to these persons a 

 sum equal to one half the value of the plants destroyed ; that value to be 

 fixed by the District-gardener. 



" The District-gardeners shall be ordered to make an inspection, 

 each in his own district, of the different nurseries, and if a nursery-garden 

 is found to contain affected stock, the fact must be immediately reported 

 to the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture, Stockholm, and the 

 District-gardener must also undertake the destruction of the diseased 

 plants. 



" Further, the Government shall decree a temporary prohibition 

 against the importation of foreign* gooseberry-plants and gooseberries." 



On the same day, July 31, that this communication was sent in to the 

 Department of Agriculture, it was submitted to the Royal Administration 

 of Agriculture for the purpose of obtaining an opinion on the proposed 

 prohibition against the importation of foreign gooseberry-plants and goose- 

 berries. The reply made by the Administration on September 8, after 

 referring to the reasons put forward in the propositions, recommends the 

 intervention of the State, and submits the following proposals to the 

 Government : — 



" To decree a temporary prohibition against the importation into the 

 country of foreign gooseberry-plants and gooseberries. To authorise 

 the Administration to empower the Agricultural Societies — acting 

 through their District-gardeners or in other ways, and using such means 

 as the Administration thinks proper — to take steps to prevent and 

 suppress the American gooseberry-mildew within the gardens of the 

 country. To assign a sum of 3,000 crowns for use in connection 

 with the proposals mentioned above. To authorise the Academy of 

 Agriculture to circulate among the public, with the assistance of the 

 Agricultural Societies,, the leaflet mentioned above. To order each 

 Agricultural Society to report to the Academy and the Administration, as 

 soon as possible, whether the disease occurs within the district of the 



* To include Norway. 



