1877.] 



AND BOB TIG UL TUB IS T. 



223 



Ireland's national plant. Shamrock is a corrup- 

 tion of the Irish ' Seamrog," which is applied to 

 many plants, as the Wood Sorrel, Purple Clover, 

 Speedwell and Pimpernel. 



The Irish are said to have adopted the Sham- 

 rock as a badge when converted to Christianity 

 in the year 433 by St. Patrick. They adopted 

 it because he used the three-leafleted plant as an 

 illustration of the Trinity. 



St. Patrick probably held up O.xalis acetosella. 

 Clover was not introduced into Ireland until cen- 

 turies after him, and the plant he held up was 

 eaten by the Irish, which points to the Oxalis. 



Why or when the Welsh adopted the Leek as 

 their national emblem is not known. None of 

 their early bards mention it. 



The Tudor colors were green and white, and 

 these were well represented by the Welshmen of 

 Henry VII. 's body guard wearing a Leek in their 

 caps at tne battle of Bosworth . There is in Wales a 

 tradition that the Saxons attacked the Britons on 

 St. David's-day and put Leeks in their caps as a 

 distinguishing badge, but the Britons proving vic- 

 torious transferred the Leeks into their own caps 

 from the caps of those they had slain and taken 

 prisoners. Among the Harleian MSS. is a poem 

 referring to this event, and adding — 



" Next to the lion and the unicorn 

 The Leek'ijthe fairest emblem that is worn." 



Some authorities state that the Leek has be- 

 come the national plant of Wales because its 

 farmers from time immemorial, when they aid 

 each other in plowing, according to a custom 

 termed Cymbortha, bring nothing but leeks for 

 their sustenance, all other requirements being 

 supplied by the farmer they are helping. — G.in 

 Journal of Horticulture. 



The Name "Elm." — Elm, from the Anglo- 

 Saxon " elm " " ellm," or " ulmo," and the Dutch 

 "olm." This name occurs with slight variations 

 in all the Celtic dialects. From the fact that the 

 Elm rarely ripens its fruit in this countrj-, 

 coupled with the resemblance of its name to the 

 classic ulnius, it is looked upon as a doubtful 

 native. The term " Wych Ehn " is su[)posed to 

 refer to its ancient use for water-pipes, especially 

 in connection with salt-springs, erroneously 

 .supposed to have been cnlled " wyes " and " wics," 

 as in Nantwich, &c. The writer is of opinion 

 that the term " wych," also referable to the Hazel 

 and the Mountain Ash, is merely a varied form 

 of "withe " — a lithe or pliant rod or twig. — Gar- 

 d<fner's Chronicle. 



The Evergreen. — This is the title of a new 

 horticultural magazine just started in Holland. 

 We commend the example to those who may 

 want to try their luck at new magazines in this 

 country. It has been the practice in p.'tst times 

 to take some popular English magazine and 

 stick "American" on to the title. This at once 

 stamped the experiment as lacking in original- 

 ity, and predicted failure from the onset. We 

 have never felt free to say this on the appear- 

 ance of these ventures, as it might expose us to 

 the charge of "malice aforethought." As there 

 are now none in the field, we may rather claim 

 generosity in offering this advice to the next 

 comer. 



State Entomologist of Missouri. — In 1868 

 this office was established, and Mr. C. V. Riley 

 appointed as Professor. We see it stated that 

 the Legislature has discontinued the office. It 

 is strange that the Legislature did this thing. 

 The labors of Prof. Riley have not only been of 

 immense value to the agriculture of the State 

 in itself, but they have tended to make the State 

 better known than anything which could be 

 done. Even as an advertisement it was one of 

 the best investments the State ever made. There 

 must be a great dearth of intelligent men in the 

 Legislature of any influence, or some one of 

 them would surely have been able to show this 

 fact to the others. Let us hope that the next 

 Legislature will see their error and retrieve the 

 blunder they have no doubt unwittingly made. 



Proceedings of the New Jersey State Hort. 

 Society. From Mr. E. Williams Montclair, 

 Sec'y. — This is the record of the second annual 

 meeting, and shows prosperity. We have been 

 anxious to know what has been the experience 

 of people with whitewashed trees in relation to 

 the fire blight in the pear, but no one has re- 

 sponded. In this volume we note that "Mr. 

 Collins had blight on whitewashed trees two 

 years in succession." It would be very interest- 

 ing to have further particulars. We do not 

 know that whitewash is any good in such 

 cases; but if the disease comes from the spores 

 of fungi, working from outwards, inwardly, 

 whitewash viight help in destroying these spores. 

 Details of these observations would help to set- 

 tle this point. What kind of " blight," had Mr. 

 Collins, and how much of the tree was white- 

 washed? A full account of Mr. C.'s experience 

 would bo thankfully received by us. 



