Plant Pests and Legislation. 
129 
Two other Orders dealing only with the American Goose- 
berry Mildew have been issued. On December 14, 1907, the 
“ American Gooseberry Mildew (Prohibition of Importation of 
Bushes) Order of 1907 ” came into force. The first clause 
defines the scope of this Order : — “ The landing in Great Britain 
of any gooseberry bush or currant bush brought from any 
place out of Great Britain is strictly prohibited.” On Novem- 
ber 12, 1908, the “ American Gooseberry Mildew (Prohibition 
of Importation of Bushes) Amendment Order' of 1908 ” was 
issued, allowing gooseberry or currant bushes to be brought to 
Great Britain from the Channel Islands. 
The only other Order in which the American Gooseberry 
Mildew is mentioned is the “ Destructive Insects and Pests 
Order of 1908 ” (see next page.) Before passing on to 
consider the measures taken against the “ Black Scab ” of 
potatoes, a few words may be said on certain points connected 
with the “ Destructive Insects and Pests Act ” itself, and the 
American Gooseberry Mildew Orders which have been issued 
under it. 
First of all, the Act itself is, apparently, defective in one 
important respect, since it gives the Board of Agriculture no 
power to take action if a Local Authority (County or Borough 
Council) fails to put an Order into force. Although the 
American Gooseberry Mildew is known to occur in both 
Surrey and Sussex, the respective County Councils are not 
proceeding to act under any Order, with the result that no 
local inspectors are being appointed to take the measures 
necessary before the pest has time to establish numerous 
centres of infection as it has done in the neighbouring County 
of Kent. Then with regard to the County of Essex, the matter 
has been placed in the hands of the Essex County Police — a 
proceeding which makes, for all practical purposes, a dead 
letter of the Order. 
Again, the American Gooseberry Mildew Orders require 
the owner of “ infected premises ” to spray his bushes in 
summer with a fungicide which shall be either a solution of 
“liver of sulphur” or “some other fungicide approved by 
or on behalf of the Local Authority for that purpose.” The 
choice of the fungicide to be used ought not to have been left 
to the Local Authority, but should have been kept in the 
hands of the Board of Agriculture, as in the case of sheep-dips. 
Especially unwise is this arrangement with regard to the 
American Gooseberry Mildew, since numberless scientifically- 
conducted experiments in America have shown conclusively 
that a freshly -mixed solution of “ liver of sulphur ” (which 
costs only about Is. Gd. per 100 gallons) is the most effective 
spray to use. Counties like Kent which receive scientific 
VOL. 69. K 
