224 



PLANTS 



by placing the promycelial spores of the Puccinia 

 (wheat-mildew ) on the barberry produced .Kriilimn 

 oerbervlia, the mildew which frequently attacks 

 that shrub. Since that time De Barv, Hartig, 

 Plowright, and others have demonstrated that sixty 

 or more species of these minute parasites have this 

 heterocismal habit, and further investigation will 

 doubtless reveal many more. 



Cures for plant diseases are as yet empirical 

 rather than scientific. In many cases the subject 

 affected is fatally smitten before evidence of disease 

 is visible. Mildew, which is one of the most com- 

 mon phenomena of plant disease, is the fructifica- 

 tion, the linal stage, of the parasite. The my- 

 celium, whence the mildew spring", is working its 

 deadly function on the plant in parts which exter- 

 nal remedial application* cannot effectively reach. 

 In many cases of plant disease the affected subject 

 dies without any apparent cause; investigation 

 after death may discover it, but too often also it 

 reveals the fact that our knowledge does not enable 

 us to prescribe a cure. Internal remedies and the 

 means of exhibiting them are yet undiscovered. 

 Soot, sulphur, soap are safe external remedies for 

 mildew that is, they destroy the pest without 

 injuring the foliage on which it prevs but do not 

 always eradicate the disease. London Purple and 

 Paris Green, both having copper for their base, are 

 very effectual external remedies, but require to be 

 used with great caution, as they are dangerous to 

 plant-life. There are many other preparations and 

 compounds obtainable which are more or less 

 effectual in destroying parasitic fungi, but the 

 only safeguard against attack appears to be the 

 maintenance of tne plant in perfect health. By 

 intelligent culture that is, by surrounding the 

 plant with those conditions of soil and atmosphere 

 essential to its healthy existence disease may lie 

 prevented, except it is epidemic or all-pervading, as 

 in the case of the potato disease. 



There are separate articles in this work on plant-dis- 

 eases at ANBURY, KROOT, RAPHANIA, RUST, SHUT, and 

 under the names of the plants affected e.g. POTATO; 

 and on the various insect-pesta which induce diseased 

 conditions, such as the Aphides and Phylloxera. See 

 also PARASITIC PLANTS ; Sorauer, Bandbueh der Pflanz- 

 tn kranlcheitm ( 2d ed. 1 886 ) ; Frank, Die Krankheiten tier 

 Pfianttn ( 1880 ) ; Hartig, Lrhrliurh der Kau mkrankhritcn 

 ( 1882) ; Corte, Pkytotomu Patholofiique ( 1877 ) ; J. Paget, 

 Elemental Pathology (1880); Professor H. Marshall 

 Ward. The Diteatet of J'tantt (188U); and Professor 

 Plowright in the QardetitrJ Chronicle for 1891. , 



PLANT-LORE. Apart altogether from the more 

 or less vague and valueless symbolism, direct or 

 indirect, understood as the Language of Flowers 

 <q.v. ), there is an abundant store of traditionary 

 lore associated with all kinds of trees, plants, and 

 flowers. The study of this throws murh light on 

 many puzzling survivals in popular folklore, and 

 Maii'nhardt (1831-80) and Mr .1. (',. Frazer have 

 shown its importance for part of the problem of 

 primitive religion. It in not infrequent among 

 Australians and l!ed Indians to find the Totem 

 <q.v.) taking the form of a plant or tree, and for 

 these tin 1 individual shows his reverence by refus- 

 ing to gather or destroy them. We find the wor- 

 ship of trees widely prevalent among savages every- 

 where, and we have ample evidence that it was an 

 important element in the religion of all the families 

 of the Aryan stock. Criinin thinks the oldest sanc- 

 tuaries of the Hermans were natural woods, and 

 hint* at a historical connection lictween the ancient 

 Mii-rcd inviolate wood and the later royal forest a 

 ludicrous descent froin the god to the game-pre- 

 server. The oak-worship of the ancient Druids, 

 the sacred fig-tree of Homulus in the centre of 

 Home, the Firu* relipiota of India, and the sacred 

 grove* of the Semitic and lire-Semitic races still 



surviving at Carthage a century after Augustine 

 are ready examples of tree-worship from sufficiently 

 wide centres of civilisation. The primitive inin<l 

 of the savage readily conceives of a tree as ani- 

 mated by a conscious soul cognate with his own, 

 and he may regard the tree either as it- permanent 

 outward organism or merely ii- characteristic 

 dwelling-place. Hence trees have tlieir place 

 in the doctrine of fetichisin, of idolatry, and 

 the upward development of religion. Buddhists 

 do not include trees among sentient beings possess- 

 ing mind, but recognise the existence of the genius 

 of the tree, and Buddha himself was such as often 

 as forty-three times during his transmigrations. 

 The reverence paid to the famous I to tree (q.v. ) 

 shows how fundamental a fact is tree-worship, 

 which undoubtedly formed a large part of the old 

 indigenous religion amalgamated by the new philo- 

 sophical faith. But none the less are the sacred 

 tree and grove to IK- found within the range of 

 Semitic and Aryan influences, and the obstinate 

 revival, even under the shadow of purer rites, of 

 the Canaanitish Ashera worship proves how deeply 

 they were rooted in the old religion of the land". 

 From all sides we find evidence at once of the great 

 antiquity and uniformity of the worship of trees, 

 whether for the services they render to man, for 

 their venerable antiquity, tlieir form, for particular 

 qualities ascribed to them as containing the seeds 

 of fire, for tlieir .situation, as on sombre and lonely 

 mountain-tops, or for their association with certain 

 phenomena, as plagues and pestilences, or ccitain 

 events in the history of the homestead. In the 

 growth, life, decay, and death of the plant the 

 primitive man easily sees an analogue to his own 

 life-history, and herein we may find the philo- 

 sophy of I lie widespread rustic rites associated with 

 marriage and with the birth of children. The 

 custom of scattering flowers and the fruits of the 

 field over the footsteps of a newly-married pair 

 conveys an obvious reference to the lielief in the 

 reproductive powers of vegetation and to the funda- 

 mental postulate of all sympathetic magic that any 

 effect may be produced by imitating it. Primilhc 

 ideas of the fertilising and frnit-Dewfag powers 

 of nature led easily, according to Manmianlt. to 

 the l>clief that each tree or plant possesses spiritual 

 as well as physical life, lieing tenanted either 

 by semi-divine spirits or by the ghosts of the 

 dead ; and a natural generalisation of this notion 

 made plants and trees collectively the abode of 

 particular inhabitants an example of animism 

 developing into polytheism. A forest god has IK-CII 

 deduced from a mere tree-soul, both alike regarded 

 as powerful to produce rain or sunshine, to cause 

 fruits to spring and cattle to easily bring forth 

 their young. A still higher generalisation gave 

 a Iwlief in a genius of plant-life or forest- life, or, 

 higher still, a genius of growth or fertility in 

 general. This universal genius of growth was 

 svinlmlised by a bush or tree, brought in triumph 

 from the forest, gailv decked, and solemnlv planted 

 near the homestead or in the village. \\ e have 

 thus seen both the spirit incorporate in the tree, 

 suffering ami dying with it, and the tree considered 

 as the mere dwelling-place of the god ; but still 

 further in many cases we find the tree -spirit 

 regarded as detached from the tree, and, through 

 a confusion of his vegetable and anthropomorphic 

 rcprc-cntationH, clothed in human form ax a man 

 or a girl decked with flowers the May King, (Juei-n 

 of (hi! May, the Old Woman or Corn mother of Cer- 

 man harvest fields, the Jack in the (li.-.-n of young 

 London sweeps, and the like. The existence of 

 those Corn-spirits which especially haunted and 

 protected the waving corn we see dimly recognised 

 in characteristic ceremonies of an Knglish harvest- 

 home, and in the German custom of leaving the 



