THE AMERICAN GOOSEBERRY-MILDEW IN SWEDEN. 141 



society, and if it appears later to notify the fact without delay ; also, in 

 the cases where it has appeared, to make a report before the end of each 

 year on the occurrence of the fungus and the measures employed for 

 combating it." 



The matter was next submitted to the Board of Customs, in order to 

 obtain its opinion on the subject. In the report which the Board sent 

 to the Government, it is stated that the Board does not find any objection 

 to make against the decreeing of a temporary prohibition against the 

 importation of foreign gooseberry- plants and gooseberries. 



The Royal Proclamation concerning a temporary prohibition against the 

 importation into the country of foreign gooseberry-plants and gooseberries 

 was given at the Palace of Stockholm on September 22, 1905, and runs as 

 follows : — " We, Oscar, &c, make known : that we, on account of the motion 

 which has been made concerning the taking of measures in order to prevent 

 the spread within the country of the American gooseberry-mildew, Sphcero- 

 theca mors-uvce (Schwein.), Berk., after the hearing of the authorities 

 concerned, have thought prudent to recommend a temporary prohibition 

 against the importation into the country of gooseberry -plants and goose- 

 berries. This Proclamation comes immediately into force ..." 



One might have hoped that, after the strong measures which have 

 been taken in Sweden, the gooseberry-growers of this country would now 

 be completely safeguarded against the dangerous enemy. Unfortunately, 

 however, there are some reasons to doubt this. The following fact must 

 carefully be borne in mind. Several weeks passed between the first dis- 

 covery of the disease in the country and the decree of the Royal prohibition 

 against the importation of plants and berries. During these weeks, 

 as well as before, both in 1904 and 1905, the introduction and the spread 

 of foreign gooseberry-plants into Sweden might have taken place freely, 

 and to some extent it certainly has taken place. One establishment in 

 Gothenburg, for instance, states in a recently published catalogue that 

 during the year 1905 more than 5,000 gooseberry-plants of the varieties 

 1 Whinham's Industry,' ' Whitesmith,' &c, have been sold by them in this 

 country, and that these plants had been imported from Scotland. It is 

 then essential to take into consideration the fact of the possibility that 

 through imports made during 1905, and perhaps even during 1904, new 

 centres of infection may have arisen at various places in this country, 

 and that such fresh affected areas cannot be discovered before the spring 

 and summer of 1906 or 1907, when the new plants will show fresh growth 

 and produce fruits. 



In order to make the measures undertaken to eradicate the disease as 

 effective as possible, the Swedish Administration of Agriculture intends 

 to send during the spring {i.e. February or March) of 1906 and 1907 

 official letters to the Agricultural Societies in the different parts of the 

 country, asking these societies to direct, as energetically as possible, the 

 attention of all those growers who have in recent years (especially in 

 1905) planted gocseberry-plants of foreign origin to the possibility of the 

 present disease appearing in the new plantations, and to undertake, if 

 the fungus is discovered, prompt and energetic measures to eradicate the 

 disease. 



Stockholm, February 12, 1906. 



