CONFERENCE ON FRUIT GROWING. 



23 



Second Day, October 11, 1905 (Morning Conference). 



Subject — 



" FUNGOID AND INSECT PESTS AND HOW TO 

 MEET THEM." 



Chairman — F. S. W. Cornwallis, Esq., President of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England. 



The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said : As one of the 

 Council of the National Fruit Growers' Federation, and as one who has 

 occupied the Presidency of that Association, I am sure I shall only be 

 expressing the wish of the Council if I take this opportunity of acknow- 

 ledging the great assistance which the Royal Horticultural Society has 

 been to us, not only in the matter of this Conference, but also in their 

 hospitality in allowing us accommodation in this handsome building. This 

 morning, we have papers on fungoid and insect pests — pests which do 

 great damage to our fruit crops — and any information we can obtain for 

 dealing with these pests will be of great value to us. I hope and believe 

 we shall have a very practical discussion this morning. One of the 

 pests which occurs to my mind is the black fungus. This has been a 

 source of great mischief to us in the Maidstone district. Then there is 

 the Black Currant mite, which has worked such havoc. What we have 

 to do is to learn all we can individually about these pests, and then, as 

 fruit-growers, apply our knowledge collectively, so that the experience 

 gained by the individual may be imparted for the benefit of the whole 

 community. The discussion may also show whether or not we think 

 legislation is possible by our combined action. I was in this room 

 yesterday and I gathered that some who had read the report of the Fruit 

 Committee thought the time was hardly ripe for legislation on the 

 subject. We may to-day be able to decide upon some of the lines on 

 which we could ask for legislation, if we are agreed that legislation is 

 desirable. With regard to the compulsory spraying of trees, I feel that 

 we have a precedent in connection with agriculture. We have com- 

 pulsory sheep-dipping — very much on all fours with tree-spraying. At 

 present, in certain scheduled areas, the law compels people to dip their 

 flocks. If compulsion is found desirable in that case, there is no reason 

 why the principle should not be extended to the spraying of fruit. 

 Then we have another precedent in the fact that cattle imported into 

 this country have to be killed on landing. That, I think, is an analogous 

 case to the demand which has been made in some quarters for the 

 inspection and destruction of diseased fruit-trees and other things, such 

 as barrels, that are introducing pests into this country. Professor 

 Theobald, of the Agricultural College at Wye, will now kindly open the 

 discussion. 



Mr. F. V. Theobald : In opening this subject on the insect side, 

 I shall follow the advice given me by several of you who are present 

 to-day, namely, to refer only to a few of our most serious pests which 

 have a more than local status. 



