PRECAUTIONS AGAINST SPREAD OF FIREBLIGHT.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 6, 20 June 1925, Page 426

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST SPREAD OF FIREBLIGHT.

The regulations under the Orchard and Garden Diseases Act, prohibiting the removal of certain plants and of bees from portions of the Taranaki and "Wellington Land Districts, which were gazetted on 30th March, 1922, have been revoked, and the following regulations made in lieu thereofcoming into force on the 28th May, 1925, the date of their gazetting :

1. In these regulations “ prescribed area ” means all that area comprising, the counties of Patea, Waitotara, and M’anganui.

2. No plant or portion of a plant of any variety of apple, pear, quince, or Cratcsgus shall be sent or brought from the prescribed area into any portion of New Zealand other than that area comprising the Auckland and North Auckland Land Districts: Provided that nothing in this regulation shall apply to the sending by an officer of the Department of Agriculture, under proper safeguards, of plants or portions of plants of any of the above-mentioned kinds from the prescribed area for the purpose of the identification of the disease.

3. (1.) Every package of trees or shrubs, or portions of trees or shrubs, sent from the prescribed area to any portion of New Zealand, other than that area comprising the Auckland and North Auckland Land Districts, must be accompanied by a certificate, in the form set out in the Schedule hereto, signed by the consignor, that no plant or portion of a plant of any variety of apple, pear, quince, or Cratcsgus is contained in the package. - (2.) The certificate shall be endorsed on a tag or label securely attached to the package in a prominent position.

4. (1.) No bees shall be sent or brought from the prescribed area to any other portion of New Zealand unless such bees have been effectively quarantined for the six days immediately prior to their, despatch from that area so as to prevent their having access to any flowers or other vegetation. (2.) The Director of the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture shall appoint such places of quarantine, and shall prescribe such conditions for their use as he deems necessary. (3.) Before sending or taking any bees out of the prescribed area the owner shall have them quarantined at one of the appointed places of quarantine. (4.) After completing the prescribed period of six days in quarantine the bees shall be forwarded direct from the quarantine place to their filial destination, an official permit signed by an officer of the Department of Agriculture being attached by tag or label to each parcel of such bees. (5.) No bees shall be accepted for posting or for consignment by rail to an address outside the prescribed area without such official permit being attached to the parcel. (6.) All expenses of sending bees to a place of quarantine and of forwarding them on completion of their period of quarantine to their destination outside the prescribed area shall be borne by the original sender of such bees, and shall be payable on demand.

5. Every person who does or omits any act in contravention of these regulations commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Z2.

SCHEDULE

Certificate to accompany Packages of Plants

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that no plant or portion of plant of any variety of apple, pear, quince, or Cratcegus is contained in this package.

Date : Signature : Place: : Witness to signature

Seed-germination Facilities for the making of earth tests will shortly be available at the Official Seed -testing Station. These will be charged for (to seed-merchants) at the same rate as germinator tests, except in the case of turnips, swedes, &c., submitted for purity, when an earth test for the detection of wild turnip, or admixture of swede in turnip, and vice versa, will be included as part of the purity analysis. .

Meat. for Nauru ' Island. — A contract has been secured by one of the Auckland freezing companies for the supply of 4,900 cases of canned meats to the Nauru Island Administration, for the labourers on the phosphate workings. This business, which represents over a year’s, supply, was secured in. competition with Australian firms. .