any necessary conditions, to burn heather during the whole or part of the period from 16th to 30th April, or from 16th April to 15th May in the case of high-lying deer forests, of the year to which the Order relates.

At the close of the year no applications for the issue of Orders had been received by the Board.

DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS AND PESTS ACTS, 1877 AND 1907. WART DISEASE OF POTATOES (SCOTLAND) ORDER, 1923. During the year six outbreaks of Wart Disease on farms or holdings exceeding half an acre in extent (exclusive of private gardens) were reported. New outbreaks were also reported in 27 gardens and allotments.

Several contraventions of the Order on the part of occupiers of gardens, etc., were discovered during the year. While one local authority secured convictions against several offenders, others decided that for the year in question a warning to the occupiers concerned would be sufficient.

Proceedings were taken by the Board against the occupiers of four farms, two of whom had planted potatoes of a nonimmune variety in land previously scheduled owing to an outbreak of Wart Disease, while the occupiers of the remaining two farms had failed to report the existence of the disease. Convictions were obtained and penalties imposed in all these cases. As the supply of first-early varieties immune from Wart Disease is still inadequate to meet requirements, the Board again issued in 1926 a general licence authorising the planting, under specified conditions, of certain first-early varieties susceptible to Wart Disease. This licence did not, however, apply to(1) any land on which Wart Disease had occurred or which had been scheduled as infected with Wart Disease by the service of a notice on the occupier;

(2) any land situated in certain specified districts where Wart Disease is more or less prevalent.

With regard to the districts specified at (2) the Board considered individual applications for the desired authority and granted licences in cases where it was considered that this would not involve the risk of the spread of Wart Disease. The number of such licences issued was 522.

Special licences were also granted in 13 cases for the growing of seedlings or new varieties.

INSPECTION OF GROWING CROPS OF POTATOES.

The scheme for the inspection of growing crops of potatoes with a view to the issue of certificates and reports as to purity was carried out on lines similar to those in operation in the previous year. The applications numbered 4,840, representing an area of 52,858 acres, of which 25,799 acres were of immune varieties and 27,059 of non-immune varieties. The services of 76 temporary Inspectors were required to assist the Board's Inspectors in the work of examining the crops. Of these, 45 had

previously served in that capacity but underwent further training, while the remaining 31 were selected after a period of instruction and a competitive test.

Tables showing the total acreage of each variety inspected, the grades of purity attained, etc., are appended.

STOCK SEED REPORTS.

The Board again issued special stock seed reports in respect of potato crops attaining an exceptionally high standard of purity and freedom from disease. The reports issued numbered 73, the total area of crop involved being 570 acres. The varieties comprised in these reports together with the total acreage of each were King Edward (358), Majestic (59), Great Scot (331), Kerr's Pink (313), Arran Consul (254), Red King Edward (203), Golden Wonder (12), Duke of York (8), Arran Chief (5), Ally (4), Field Marshal (31), Champion (3), Eclipse (3), British Queen (2) and Incomer (2).

IMPORTATION OF POTATOES.

From England and Wales.-Four licences under the English Seed Potatoes Importation (Scotland) Order, 1920, were granted in 1926, authorising the importation of English-grown potatoes for planting in Scotland.

From Ireland.-The chief requirement of the Irish Potatoes Importation (Scotland) Order, 1925, was explained in the Board's last Report. During the year eleven consignments were reported by H.M. Customs as having been imported unaccompanied by the prescribed certificate. As all these consignments consisted of small quantities of potatoes for domestic purposes only, the Board considered it sufficient to issue a warning to each offender.

From Other Countries.-The number of consignments of potatoes landed in 1926 for domestic use was 125, a decrease of 210 on the number for the previous year. These consignments were practically all from Malta and Holland, and except in seven cases were accompanied by the certificate of health required by the Destructive Insects and Pests (Scotland) Order, 1922. In the case of consignments arriving without the prescribed certificate the potatoes were examined by the Board's Inspectors and in every case were found to be free from the scheduled diseases and pests.

Foreign Seed Potatoes Importation (Scotland) Order, 1925.— The provisions of this Order were explained in the Board's last Report. During 1926 the Board issued only four licences under the Order authorising the planting of small quantities of potatoes. These were mostly for trial purposes and were accompanied by the certificate of health prescribed by the Destructive Insects and Pests (Scotland) Order, 1922.

EXPORTATION OF POTATOES.

To England and Wales.-The following statement gives particulars of the certificates issued during the year in the terms required for the entry of seed potatoes into England and Wales :

-

To Ireland. The certificates issued during the year in the terms required for the admission of potatoes into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State totalled 95. Of these 59 were for potatoes of the 1925 crop and 36 for potatoes of the 1926 crop. Abroad. The total number of certificates issued in respect of potatoes destined for export abroad was 801. The destinations of these consignments were-Channel Islands, 402; South Africa, 253; India, 38; France, 31; Malta, 13; New Zealand, 10; Kenya Colony, 8; Portugal, 7; Ceylon, 5; Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Switzerland and Uruguay, 3 each; Argentine, Australia, Holland, Russia, Spain and Tangier, 2 each; Canary Islands, Chile, Denmark, Dutch East Indies, Norway, Rhodesia and Tasmania, 1 each.

TESTING OF NEW VARIETIES OF POTATOES.

In previous Reports the procedure adopted in the testing of new varieties of potatoes has been fully explained.

Philpstoun Wart Disease Immunity Trials. The following statement summarises the results of the season's Wart Disease Immunity Trials, and shows also the decisions of the Scottish Potato Synonym Committee regarding the varieties of the samples under test :

First Year's Test.

Varieties under test as new varieties

100

Decisions of Committee.

Apparently identical with immune standard varieties.
Apparently distinct and free from Wart Disease
Apparently seedlings of and resembling immune
standard varieties but inferior to those standard
varieties

Immunity doubtful

....

....

Identical with non-immune standard varieties.

Susceptible to Wart Disease; type undetermined
Stocks too mixed or diseased for consideration

....

14

48

3

3

16

10

6

(In addition, four samples were grown at Philpstoun for the Wart Disease test only).

Second Year's Test.

Varieties in respect of which the final decision as to type

was deferred until after test in 1926

68

Varieties grown in 1926 with a view to registration ....

Decisions of Committee.

Not recommended for registration

4

4

In addition to being grown at the Board's Plant Registration Station, stocks of the varieties undergoing the third year's test were grown at the farms of the three Agricultural Colleges.

In 1926 a large number of breeders again took advantage of the arrangement made by the Board for the testing with regard to immunity from Wart Disease of single tubers of new seedlings in the first or second year of their existence.

The following is a summary of the results of the season's Single Tuber Test:

AMERICAN GOOSEBERRY MILDEW.

Several market gardens, nurseries and private gardens were inspected during the year, but only in a few cases was American Gooseberry Mildew found to be present to any considerable extent. In these cases remedial measures were suggested and on subsequent visits of inspection it was ascertained that these had been adopted. Only two new outbreaks in market gardens and nurseries were reported during the year. Notices under the American Gooseberry Mildew (Scotland) Order, 1920, requiring the adoption of suitable measures of control were served on the occupiers of two market gardens and nine private gardens.

Licences sanctioning the disposal for manufacturing purposes of gooseberries affected with the disease were issued to seven applicants, and authority for the sale or removal of gooseberry bushes affected with the disease was given in fifteen cases. The licences were granted subject to the observance of the conditions prescribed by the Order for the prevention of the spread of the disease.

Further experiments in the control of American Gooseberry Mildew were conducted by the Agricultural Colleges. The sprays used were Alkalic Burgundy Mixture, Carbonate of Soda and Lime Sulphur, while some proprietary washes were also tried. It was found that Alkalic Burgundy Mixture and Carbonate of Soda gave the best results.