224 



ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



NOTES PROM CORRESPONDENTS. 



Field a.nd Meadow Jllosses. — The species affect- 

 ing tliese localities, and often by their ahandauce doing 

 great damage to meadows, are Bnjum argeateum, Lin. , 

 Bmiula unguioulata, Hed., Ar,.hidium Ohioeiise, Sch., 

 Phaiioum cuspidatum., Schr., PJiascum altemifolium^ "Brid,, 

 and Phascmn nitiduluvi^ Scbimp. Several others are 

 occasionally fovmd in certain localities in less numbers. 

 ffypnum polymorphum on clay lands is sometimes quite 

 abundant and injurious. Phascum triqv.etruin is rarer. 

 Bryum cmspiticum, L. , Atrichum augustatum, Bean, i^«- 

 n-aria fiavicans , Mich., and Hypnum salelrosum, Hoff. , 

 are rarely found in such situations. Weissia viridula , 

 Brid., in some clay meadows is also found sparingly, 

 and in very low swampy places , Hypnum riparium and 

 Hypnum radicale fre<i\ieni\j ahowxiH; but excepting the 

 first six species little damage is sustained to the grasses 

 by theii" presence. Bryum argeTiteum a,nd Barhula un- 

 guiculata are specially obnoxious not alone in these 

 situations, but in gardens and hoUse-grouuds where 

 weeds are kept down, having the advantage of growing 

 without much heat; in lact, flourishing most luxuri- 

 antly when phenogamous plants are entirely at rest In 

 the winter, they soon possess themselves of the whole 

 territory, and finally choke out many herbaceus plants, 

 and do great mischief to garden shrubbery and even 

 trees. Underdraining would to some extent diminish 

 the evil , but as aU mosses grow chiefly during the win- 

 ter and spring months, when moisture almost continu- 

 ally abounds, no satisfactory remedy will probably ever 

 be applied for this particular evil to agriculture and 

 horticulture. E. Hall. 



Velvet-leaf {Abutilon Amcennm, Gaert.) — The In- 

 dian Mallow, or Velvet-leaf, often so called, and also 

 locally Stamp-weed, from a use formerly of printing 

 butter with its pods, is an aimual East Indian plant of 

 the Mallow family. It is a vil.e weed, already well 

 established in numerous localities in the "West, as well 

 as in the older portions of this country. Public atten- 

 tion, if not legal enactments, should be directed without 

 delay to some means of limiting its dissemination, or 

 confining it to its present areas: eradication where 

 established is not practicable, the seeds being appar- 

 ently imperishable under all conditions to which time 

 can expose them. The writer having carefully attended 

 a small locality for .sixteen years, finds the seeds that 

 ripened probably sixteen years ago from a single plant 

 annually making their appearance. The spread of the 

 plant is not necessarily rapid, nor difficult to check. An 

 instance occurs here, where the plant has grown for 

 eight or ten years in a neighbor's garden almost with- 

 out hindrance, and has not yet crossed to an adjoining 

 field, with only a fence and hedge of weeds between; 

 but the plant, nevertheless, is rapidly extending its areas 

 in the rich cultivated lands all over the "West. Farmers 

 are not aware of the pernicious character of the weed 

 or the detriment their farms are subjected to from its 

 presence on them. Fifty per cent, depreciation in in- 

 trinsic value would probably be below rather than above 

 the average loss in worth of farms stocked with it. I 

 have seen farms in Central Illinois abandoned apparently 

 on account of the impracticability of profitable cultiva- 

 tion, it being more profitable to cultivate new lauds than 

 to own and cultivate farms infested with it; but this 

 easy method will not long be available. Those who 

 have it on their farms cannot be too vigilant to prevent 



further dissemination, and those few who are so for- 

 tunate as to yet be free from It, cannot use too much 

 watchfulness to keep it off. The plant, like most tropi- 

 cal or subtropical plants, has a wonderful capacity of 

 adapting itself to the situation. It only germinates 

 with a high temperature, and when this and moisture, 

 and other requisite conditions are provided, it com- 

 mences operations without regard to time or seasons, 

 but is never caught. Suiting itself to the circumstances 

 siuTounding it, it invariably accomplishes the object of 

 its existence, i. «., matures seeds. It is a rapid grower, 

 and apparently an exhaustive feeder, and no foreign or 

 native weed is destined to work half the evil to agricul- 

 ture if permitted to generally disseminate itself through 

 the rich prairies of the North and West. 

 Athbns, Ills. E. Hall. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Plants to flame.— Mre. B. S. LaJee, Colorado. — 

 More of those nicely prepared specimens of Rocky 

 Mountain plants. !^o. His Pentstemon, glaher,Fh. The 

 genus Pentstemon is represented by only three species 

 east of the Mississippi; but westward the species be- 

 come very numerous, and many of them have lai'ge and 

 conspicuous flowers. This species is very ornamental, 

 and may be cultivated with perfect success . It is nearly 

 related to the Fox-glove family. No. 7 is the Rocky 

 Mountain Flax (Linum perenne, L.) This, as its name 

 indicates, is a perennial species of flax, growing from 

 Missouri to the Pacific, and also in Europe and Asia. 

 It has a slender, branching stem , two to three feet high, 

 and rather large, bright-blue flowers. No. 8 is GUia 

 aggregata, Spreng. The Gilias belong to the .same 

 Natural Order as the Phlox, ami are closely related to 

 that genus. Many ot them ai-e very showy. This species 

 has narrow, trumpet-like flowers, one and a half inches 

 long, in loose clusters along a tall, slender stalk. They 

 vary in color from white to bright scarlet. No. 9 is 

 Oastilleia Integra, Gr. This may be called the Entire- 

 leaved Painted Cup. It grows at considerable elevations 

 on tlie mountains, aiul with its bright scarlet bracts 

 lights up the mountain sides . Two or three other sijecies 

 there join with it in gi\'ing variety aud beauty to the 

 scenery. No . 10 is the Alpine Vetch ( Astragalus alpinue, 

 L.), a very pretty and delicate plant, growing on the 

 borders of cold mountain streams. It is also found on 

 some njountains in New England, and in Euroije. No. 

 11 is PotentiUa pennsykanica, L. This occurs under a 

 variety of forms at all elevations in the mountains and 

 valleys, and mtli its grayish-white l(>a\es and yellow 

 flowers has a pleasing appeai-ancr. It is doubtliil about 

 its ever having been found in Pennsylvania, as would 

 be inferred from the specific name, liut it oceiu-s in a 

 few places in New England. 



Ghus E . Billen, PIdladelpMa. — Your plants are as fol- 

 lows: No. 1, an exotic Spirea; we have not the means 

 of determining the species . No. 2 is our beautiful native 

 Yellow Lily (Lilium coMadtnse, L.) No. 3 is called 

 Kuawel {Sderanthus annuus, L.), a weed introduced 

 from Europe. No. 4 is the Butterfly-weed, or Pleurisy- 

 root [Asclepias tuherosajh.) No. 6 is a kind of Milkwort 

 (Polygala fastigiata, Nutt.) No. 6 is Slender Genirdia 

 { Gerardia temdfolia, Vahl.) No. 7 is one of the Blazing 

 Stars (Liatris s'cariosa, Willd .), a beautiful plant, as are 

 the other species of this genus, and well deserving culti- 

 vation. No. 8 is the showy Toadflax {Linaria vulgaris. 

 Mill.), a troublesome weed in many places. No. 9 is 

 the Hardback (Spirea tomentosa, L.), a handsome shrub. 

 No. 10 is an incomplete specimen of what appears to be 

 Cynthia rirginica, Don. These specimens are mostly 

 well preserved, but some of them are on too small a 

 scale, not fully representing the species. 



