H A 11 D W ] C K E' S S C 1 E N C K- G O S S 1 P. 



141 



generalizes, Science lias no equal. Its s))irit, if not 

 always that of its professors, is toaclialjlcuess ; its 

 liictliod, if not invariably their temper, is humility ; 

 its instrument is reason emancipated from passion ; 

 nnd the tendency of its sludy is to lift men out of 

 the region of instinct and impulse into that of 

 reason. As an exclusive culture it would doubtless 

 be onesided ; it is, however, as a counterpoise to an 

 existing: oncsidedness that wc need to have it 

 adopted in all our schools.— Dr^iV^ News. 



Sugaring fok Nocture.— The original and 

 best mixture for this purpose is 1 lb. of stro)i(j foots 

 sugu', a tablespoonful of gin or rum to half a pint 

 of porter or ale. The success greatly depends on 

 the quality of the sugar and temperature of the 

 night : when the latter is warm, moist, and with a 

 moderate wind, failure seldom occurs from June to 

 jNIovember : prior to June the bait is of little use. Do 

 not be discouraged. I remember once sugaring in 

 the Isle of Wight for a fortnight at the same place : 

 the first week I think hardly a dozen moths 

 aijpeai"ed ; the second week as many thousands. 

 Tlie proper way to apply the sugar is with a 

 moderately large painter's brush. Make one or two 

 stripes on the tree, say a foot long. If economy is 

 desired, saturate some pieces of coarse calico, about 

 4 or 5 inches square, with the mixture, and dispose 

 the squares wherever you please, gathering them up 

 again on your last round. With the addition of a very 

 little more syrup, these will last many months and 

 be a great saving iu sugar. This plan is especially 

 applicable on the coast and other places where 

 there are no trees. On the sand-hills at Deal, which 

 is a place of this description, the practice used to 

 he to tie up the long grass in knots, and sugar on 

 them. I have seen four or five collectors there at 

 one time, each of whom had his particular route, 

 liaving tied his knots iu daylight. — An Old Eiitomo- 

 logisf. 



Grtllits vieidissimus.— This grasshopper I 

 have taken not uncommonly when sugaring for 

 mollis: they sucked the syrup greedily — probably 

 llicy might thrive ou sweets .in captivity. — An Old 

 Eiilomologist. 



Scottish Natural History.— I should feel 

 much obliged if you, or any of the readers of 

 Science-Gossip, could inform me of any work ou 

 Scottish Natural History and Scottish Lepidoptera; 

 or on the Natural History and Lepidoptera of Edin- 

 burgh, or of the South of Scotland.— (?. Ford. 



Saffron. — Somebody has observed that " the 

 deeper the M^ell of knowledge that the rill of popu- 

 lar information flows out of, the better." I fear 

 the well pertaining to Helen E. Watney is not of a 

 fathomless character, or she could not have penned 

 the last paragraph in her article in the last number 

 of Science-Gossip (see p. 108). She says, "The 

 Meadow-saffrou is a different plant ; from it colchi- 

 cum is produced." What is colchicum ? And she 

 further adds, "that it possesses no medicinal 

 virtues, she believes." Now it so happens that 

 saffron-, i\\& dried style and stigma of the 6Vo«« 

 sativus, is held in very little esteem as a mediciue at 

 ihe present day, being chiefly employed as a colour- 

 ing and flavouring material ; whereas the iMeadow- 

 safFrou {Colchicum autumiiale) has been held in 

 great repute from a very remote period ; and pre- 

 parations from the bulb and seed are daily pre- 

 scribed by medical men, and kept in every chemist's 

 shop in the kingdom, — U. B. 



Saffron and Meabow-Saffron. — Your talented 

 correspondent Mrs. Watney, in giving some details 

 of tlic growth of saflVon in last month's Gossip, dc- 

 tcribes the plant as flowering a week or two after 

 the appearance of the leaves. I have hitherto be- 

 lieved the reverse to be the order of progression, 

 and I fhid my text-books tell the student that the 

 leaves "appear just as the flowers begin to fade." 

 This is perplexing to one unable to set doubts at 

 rest by personal observation of the plant. Although 

 saffron may still, as Mrs. Watney states, be a fa- 

 vourite remedy for nervousness with old women ou 

 account of its slightly stimulant action, it is no 

 longer of importance as a medicine in this country, 

 if we except its administration to our feathered 

 pets when moulting, — a common practice ; whether 

 beneficial or otherwise I know not. It is now 

 chiefly employed as a colouring agent, the deep 

 orange tint which it readily imparts cither to water 

 or spirit, rendering it of considerable use in the arts 

 for colouring toilet soaps, lozenges, &c. I should 

 like, if you will permit me, to say a few words on 

 Meadow-safl'ron {Colchicum ant iimnale, Linn.). Mrs. 

 Watney says she believes that neither colchicum 

 nor the " early purple crocus — the C. vermis or 

 spring crocus " (? Scilla venia, Huds. — L believe we 

 have no indigenous crocus) possesses any medici- 

 nal virtue. This, however, is so far from being the 

 case with the colchicum, that it may be advisable 

 to sketch its properties and medicinal uses, and 

 thus nip error in the bud. This plant belongs to 

 an almost universally poisonous order {Melanlhace<:e), 

 and is itself no exception to the rule. Beth the 

 corn and seeds contain an alkaloid {Colchicia), 

 which is a powerful poison. In small doses re- 

 peated, colchicum is largely used in medicine to 

 relieve the pain of gout and rheumatism, and is tJie 

 active ingredient in several celebrated nostrums for 

 the cure of gout. Colchicum seeds are remarkable 

 for their hardness, as those wdio have pulverized 

 them with pestle and mortar will doubtless remem- 

 ber.-/, jr. While. 



Sugaring for Nocture.— In answer to Mr. 

 Elliott's question "how to make the best mixture 

 for sugaring for noctua;," I may state, that for 

 some time past I have been accustomed to use a 

 compound made of the undermentioned ingredients, 

 which has proved most efficacious; viz., ^Ib. of moist 

 sugar, I lb. of black treacle, and about a glassful of 

 " porter " (beer). These should be allowed to sim- 

 mer until reduced to nearly the same cousistency 

 as treacle, and before being used should have half 

 a wineglassful of rum added. — H. A. Auld. 



Does Gaslight kill Plants?— Gas is most 

 assuredly injurious to the growth of plants, and 

 even to the preservation of cut flowers. I am very 

 fond of both, and always have a large supply in my 

 rooms, where I burn a great deal of gas. I find 

 that the heat and smoke from the gas have a very 

 deleterious efiect on growing plants. They flag 

 and droop, having a scorched, withered look. The 

 only way in which I can keep them at aU fresh is 

 by constantly using a sponge and lukeicarm water ; 

 first syringing them well and then sponging the 

 leaves. After this operation it is wonderful how 

 refreshed the plants look. When they show signs 

 of droojnng very much, I remove them to a room 

 where there is no gas used, for a week or tw-o, and 

 the change of air seems to restore them ; but to 

 koep plants in a room where there is much gas 

 burnt constantly is simply a matter of mipossibiluy. 



