August 17, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



201 



subject and at best we can only select the eye that is 

 likely to produce a good cane, thus securing good,, 

 robust wood, with eyes tit to develop future flowering 

 stems. 



INSECT PESTS 



This is the season when we may look for trouble with 

 caterpillars. One brand in particular dotes on roses and 

 his voracity is quickly made apparent by the absence of 

 foliage in his immediate vicinity. The name of this 

 pest is Cacacia parallela, or "Eose leaf roller," so called 

 from the manner in which it draws the edges of the 

 leaves together in the form of a tent in which it lives. 

 Owing to their habits these caterpillars are difficult to 

 reach with insecticides. Handpieking, while a most 

 disagreeable task, is perhaps the onlv effective remedy. 



Mildew, another of our constant enemies, is ever 

 awaiting an opportunity to get in its work, but usually 

 well grown stock does not readily submit to the atten- 

 tions of this pest. 



A light fumigating with tobacco once a week — the 

 weal'ier permitting — will suffice to keep greenfly in 

 check, but will not disturb thri|)s, and if this pest has 

 gained access to the house it will be necessary to fumi- 

 gate with hydrocyanic acid gas. This operation 

 should be performed at night and the house securely 

 fastened during treatment. The formula for the 

 preparation of hydrocyanic acid gas was given in Hor- 

 ticulture issue of June 23 ; also a full description of the 

 manner of application. 



^7^SiU^^!»^W/ 



Education For ^^Job 



tt 



In a recent isstie of your Xew York contemporary 

 '"Job" calls me to task for saying that Linnaeus made 

 this world more pleasant to live in. I doubt whether 

 '"Job" ever read the life of this wonderful man, for 

 if he had he never would have made such ignorant 

 statements. Never was the old saying, "A little knowl- 

 edge is a dangerous thing," better illustrated than it 

 is in this instance, and so are also the words of Gold- 

 smith, ''The loud laugh bespeaks the vacant mind." I 

 suppose "Job" does not know that Linnaeus's father was 

 a minister and that he wanted his son to follow in his 

 footsteps. Linnaeus firmly objected to his father's 

 wishes. I have no doubt if he had gone to the ministry 

 as his father wished him to, that saintly "Job" and his 

 followers would be ready to credit him with having done 

 some good in this world. 



Linnaeus was a great man. He had the courage to 

 tell the truth and decide for hiiuself what his life work 

 should be. He saw and believed in the beauties of this 

 worjd and came to the conclusion that man's unhappi- 

 ness on earth is due to his ignorance of nature. A 

 Golden City had no charm for him. Therefore, he 

 staked his chances on this world and had to suffer much 

 for it in his early years. If he had worn the broad- 

 cloth his bread and butter would have come to him with 

 greater ease and comfort. 



While "Job's" countrj'men in Scotland were groping 

 in the dark and preaching ahottt the Bottomless Pit, 

 Linnaeus was- teaching and preaching to his people in 

 Sweden about the beautiful things in nature. 



Just think for a moment of the wide difference be- 

 tween Linnaeus's creed and what was practiced in Job's 



country, and you can easily understand the influence 

 of past generations and environment on men like "Job." 

 lie has inherited his narrowness and we have to suffer 

 on that account. It is hard to get one of his make-up to 

 believe in anything else but his own narrow creed, but 

 I propose to try to convince this unfortunate man that 

 there are others besides myself who think that Lin- 

 naeus made this world better to live in. 



Quoting from the Linnaeus Memorial Address by 

 Edward L. Greene, which was delivered at a joint meet- 

 ing of the Washing+oji Academy of Sciences, the Biolog- 

 ical Society of Washington and tlie Botanical Society 

 of Washington, at Hubbard 'Memorial Hall, on May 23, 

 1907, Professor Greene closes his address with this fine 

 tribute to Linnaeus : 



''But they who fully realize what he accomplished iu so 

 many tJift'erent directions to the great and lasting advan- 

 tage of our science, will be rather disposed to wish that 

 au equal of Linnaeus might soon be !x)rn; and might think 

 it well that the natal day cf the matchless Swede should 

 be held sacred not only once in each century, but a hundred 

 times in every hundred years." 



Dr. N, L. Britton, director of the New York Botan- 

 ical Garden and president of the New York Academy 

 of Sciences, had this to say of Linnaeus in his address 

 at the dedication to Linnaeus of the Pelham Parkway 

 Bridge over the Bronx I?iver, on May 23, 1907 : 



"The recognition of (he work of famous men is one of 

 the happiest duties of mankind. It stimulates our en- 

 deavors and encourages us to make efforts which we would 

 probably not make without their examples before us. 



"Today we do homage to a distinguished man of science, 

 and the unanimity with which the scientific societies and 

 institutions of the city of New York join in this tribute 

 is in itself evidence of the value which is placed v.pon 

 his contribution to natural history. 



"The contribution of science to the welfare, comfort and 

 happiness of rjankind have made present human life widely 

 different from that >f two hundred years ago, and this 

 amelioration of our condition, and the more general diffu- 

 sion of knowledge has been accompanied by a vast improve- 

 ment in morality. 



The ceremonies of today are worthy of the great natura- 

 list whose birth they commemorate. Societies and institu- 

 tions all over the world join with us in honoring him, 

 and are represented here by delegates or have transmitted 

 documents expressing their appreciation of his life and 

 labors." 



Dr. George Lincoln Goodale, professor of botany at 

 Harvard University, had this to say of Linnaetis in an 

 able article which appeared in the "Nation" of Mav 

 23,1907: 



"Linnaeus died in 177S, the last of the naturalists who 

 have attempted to make themselves proficient in the knowl- 

 edge of the three kingdoms. Since his time, specialization, 

 demanded by the accumulation of materials, has become 

 year by year raoie minute. There is a special fitness in 

 honoring one who was able i arly to mark out lines in all 

 directions which, no loatter how far specialization may go, 

 must continue to be the lines of progress. No one can 

 safely ignore the rules laid down by the master: Describe 

 with precision and in the fewest term.s: To each natural 

 object assign a simple an-. arying name." 



"Job" is no doubt well posted, as most of his coun- 

 trymen are in Burns, Scott and the Shorter Catechism, 

 but I am inclined to believe that "Job" in his very nar- 

 row acquaintance with general literature has never given 

 proper reflection upon the old saying that "fools rush 

 in where angels fear to tread." 



