REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. Hy 



of transporting them from the utmost parts of Scotland. ... I 

 am persuaded the pine, pitch, and fir trees in Scotland, might 

 yield His Majesty plenty of excellent tar, were some industrious 

 person employed about the work." The larch was well known 

 to Evelyn, and the durability of its wood was highly extolled. 

 "That it flourishes with us, a tree of good stature (not long 

 since to be seen about Chelmsford in Essex) sufficiently 

 reproaches our not cultivating so useful a material for many 

 purposes." 



It is impossible even to indicate the many points of interest 

 that crop up in these entrancing volumes, but one turns with 

 curious expectation to Chapter VII., " Of the infirmities of trees, 

 etc.," to see what the position of vegetable pathology was two 

 hundred and fifty years ago. The list of diseases is a very 

 long one, and includes " pestiferous air, tumours, distortions, 

 fungosities, gangreens, lacrymations, gouts, carbuncles, ulcers, 

 crudities, and an army more." His treatment of fern is to strike 

 off the heads " with a good wand or cudgel ... in the spring, 

 and now and then in summer." " But most infallibly " its eradica- 

 tion is best secured by pasturing with Scotch sheep, which eat it 

 down " at its spring." The experience of the present day, when 

 the bracken plague is attracting much attention, is hardly con- 

 firmatory of this recommendation, but perhaps the Scotch sheep 

 of Evelyn's time were a less fastidious breed. The caterpillar of 

 the goat moth, "and other worms, lying between the body and 

 the bark," have special prescriptions meted out to them ; and as 

 for millepedes and wood-lice, it is recommended that they be 

 collected and "dry'd and reduc'd to powder, and taken in 

 drink," when they " are an admirable specific against the 

 jaundies, scorbut, etc., to purify the blood, and clarifie the 

 sight " ! Many other quaint directions are met with in this 

 chapter, as, for instance, when brandy administered by a hole 

 bored in the stem is recommended for lousiness, which commonly 

 succeeds " the measels." This lousiness is probably nothing 

 else than our old friend the Coccus of the beech, which the late 

 Lord Ridley treated in his woods at Blagdon by similar methods 

 except that he used sulphur instead of brandy. 



But Evelyn's advice is often thoroughly sound, and his 

 remarks are generally suggestive. For imparting interest to an 

 idle hour, his Sylva can be strongly recommended. 



W. S. 



