;48 



NATURE 



[June 28, 19 17 



potent factor that some writers claim, then with 

 the countless hordes that have devastated the 

 country 'during the past ten or fifteen years there 

 should be scarcely a caterpillar left; but, as I 

 stated in 1913, this bird "has been allowed to 

 increase to such an extent that it has become one 

 of the worst pests we have," and "at present the 

 attitude of all farmers must be one of extermina- 

 tion." Finally, I think we may leave the reputa- 

 tion of the Board of Agriculture to take care of 

 itself, for it is a gross exaggeration, unsupported 

 by facts, to say that "it is clear to every naturalist 

 and observer that a great mistake has been made." 

 Walter E. Collinge. 



THE PUBLICATION OF THE " KEW 

 BULLETIN." 



WE are glad to see that the order suspending 

 the publication of the i?eiy Bulletin, to which 

 reference was made in Nature of May 24, is likely 

 to be withdrawn. Replying to a question asked by 

 Mr. Peto in the House of Commons on June 18, 

 Sir R, Winfrey said: "The Kew Bulletin was 

 suspended by the Stationery Office in consulta- 

 tion with the Board of Agriculture arid Fisheries. 

 The whole matter is, however, at present under re- 

 consideration, and I hope it will be found possible 

 to arrange for the continuation of the publication." 

 After the appearance of the article in Nature 

 deploring the action of the Controller of H.M. 

 Stationery Office in suspending the publication of 

 the Keii} Bulletin, the subject was taken up by the 

 Times, which, in an article entitled " False 

 Economy," also regretted the Controller's deci- 

 sion. The British Scie'nce Guild took prompt steps 

 to direct attention to the matter ; and in the House 

 of Commons on June 11 Sir William Phipson 

 Beale, a member of the Executive Committee, 

 asked the Secretary to the Treasury 

 on whose advice the decision of the Controller of 

 H.M. Stationery Office was taken to suspend the 

 printing and publication of the Kew Bulletin; whether 

 his attention was called to the importance of that pub- 

 lication for the spread of valuable information through- 

 out the Empire relating to plant culture and the supply 

 of fibre, timber, and plant products ; if he can give 

 the /names of any experts concerned in the scientific 

 and commercial development of Colonial industries 

 connected .with plant culture who were consulted in the 

 matter ; whether the editor was consulted ; and whether 

 any estimate was made of the consumption of paper 

 involved in the continuance of the Kew Bulletin as 

 compared with the consumption of paper for dramatic, 

 sporting, pictorial, and other fashionable papers which 

 have no practical value for the development of the 

 resources of the Empire either during or after the 

 war. 



The reply given by Mr. Stanley Baldwin was as 



follows : — 



In reply to the first part of the hon. member's 

 question, it is understood that the Secretary of the 

 Board of Agriculture and the chairman of the 

 Select Committee on Publications were consulted by 

 the Controller of the Stationery Olifice prior to the 

 .suspension of the Bulletin; and that the Controller's 

 decision was acquiesced in by the Director of the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens. The editor of the paper was, I am 

 informed, consulted by the Controller before any 



NO. 2487, VOL. 99I 



action wa* l^aken.* The answer to the second part of 

 the question is in the affirmative, and that to the third 

 part in the negative. The consumption of paper for 

 dramatic, sporting, pictorial, and other fashionable 

 papers is not within the jurisdiction of the Controller 

 of the Stationery Oflfice. 



It will be noticed that this reply does not cover 

 the points raised by Sir William Beale, and we 

 believe that Mr. Baldwin was not in the possession 

 of the full facts when he suggested that suspension 

 was decided upon after consultation with suitable 

 advisers and with the consent of the Director of 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens, who is the editor 

 of the Bulletin. We are confident that everj'one 

 who is competent to pass a judgment upon the 

 case would express the opinion that the discon- 

 tinuance of the Kew Bulletin upon the ground that 

 it was "not essential" could not be justified for 

 a moment. The subjoined mernorandum, signed 

 by members of the Executive Committee of the 

 British Science Guild and sent to the Secretary of 

 the Treasury on June 9, affords in itself sufficient 

 reason for the continuance of the publication of 

 the Bulletin, wYnch. Sir R. Winfrey hopes will be 

 possible. If that end is attained, the Guild is to 

 be congratulated upon the part it has played in 

 bringing about the abrogation of an unfortunate 

 and ill-considered decision. 



The British Science Guild learns with much astonish- 

 ment that the Controller, H.M. Stationery Office, has 

 decided that the Kew Bulletin of Miscellaneous In- 

 formation is not essential, and has therefore suspended 

 its publication until more normal times are reached. 

 The Guild is strongly of opinion that such action 

 should not have been taken without referring the 

 question of the value of the Bulletin to competent 

 scientific authorities ; and it protests against the sus- 

 pension of publication at a time when every effort 

 should be made to promote the development of the 

 plant resources of the Empire. The part which Kew 

 has plaj-ed in the collection and distribution of cin- 

 chona, india-rubber, and many other plant products, 

 including timbers, should have preserved the Bulletin 

 from any restriction on account of the great benefits 

 it has been the means of conferring, not only upon 

 the Empire, but also upon humanity at large. 



The Kew Bulletin was first issued in January, 1887, 

 in response to the demand for the prompt publication 

 for general use of any information likely to be of 

 service to those engaged in science, cultivation, or 

 commerce connected with the plant and agricultural re- 

 sources of the Overseas Dominions. The prefatory 

 note to the first number says : — 



" It is hoped that while these notes will serve the 

 purpose of an expeditious mode of communication to 

 the numerous correspondents of Kew in distant parts 

 of the Empire, they may also be of service to members 

 of the general public interested in planting or agricul- 

 tural business in India and the Colonies." 



The Bulletin was .started at the desire of Parlia- 

 ment, upon the recommendation of the First Commis- 

 sioner of H.M. Works and Public Buildings (Mr. 

 Plunket). It has been the vehicle for the publication 

 of a vast amount of information of various kinds, 

 some on purely scientific, but mostly on economic, 

 subjects. The " miscellaneous information " supplied 

 by the Bulletin has ever been welcome to botanists 

 and to those concerned with the utilisation of vegetable 

 products ; and it has provided a valuable rei^ord of 

 Kew work in all its varying aspects. 



