
50 
assistants, under the superintendence of Sir Joseph Hooker, has 
been commenced, and will now be pushed on with all possible speed. I 
will greatly facilitate betanical work of every kind. Mr. Jackson has 
been engaged upon its preparation for upwards of 10 years, and the 
cost of it is derived from funds provided by the late Charles Darwin, 
F.R.S., and his family. 
St. Helena appears to be unfortunate in the way of pests affecting 
cultivated plants. A short time ago specimens were received at Kew of 
introduced to St. greed and it is hoped P at the steps recommende 
to be taken will be successful in eradicating 
A plant which has established itself in some places in St. Helena, 
and become a troublesome weed, is Nothoscordum borbonicum, Kunth. 
This is closely allied to the Alliums or Garlicks, and although a native 
of temperate and tropical Ameriea, has spread in many places in the 
old world. At St. Helena, the Governor states that “ it spreads with 
hir coins rapidity, and exterminates the grass and other vegetation. 
“ The ground on being turned up presents a solid mass of bulbs to a 
* depth of six inches. [t has been found impossible to separate the 
* bulbs by hand, as they range from the size of a pin's head to that of 
* a walnut. An experiment has been made of removing the earth to 
* the depth of the bulbs, and burning the whole, but this mode of 
* treatment is too costly." Again, mowing the plant has been found to 
be of nou 
A closely allied plant, Nothoscordum striatum, Kunth, a native of the 
Northern United States, has been found to be troublesome in in the her- 
beds at Kew It is almost impossible to eradicate it, and from 
this experience it is ensy to realise the difficulty found in dealing with 
a similar x st in a tropical country. One method that has been 
suggested, as so many others have failed, is to soak the ground, after 
the surface "fiia been slightly loosened, with a liquid “ weed- killer." 
This, however, is a very drastic method, and it cannot be dene on a 
large scale, as it involves considerable expense, besides the abandon- 
ment of the eee for a year or two owing to the sterilising effect of 
the liquid. 
A similar pest in tropical dil is the Nut-grass, Cyperus rotun- 
dus, L. This takes possession of some of the best soils in ipee nd 
becomes a most t Airp and pribi weed. In y 
systematice weedin d giving constant attention, it n been found 
Possible t "s keep the piii s in check for a time. If, however, the smallest 
portion of the roots or tubers are left in the ground the plant soon re- 
ap It always looks green, and by means of the wide ramifications 
of its rhizomes, it appears to withstand the severest droughts. The 
occurrence of this plant as a troublesome weed in gardens, is noticed in 
rts from nearly every part of the eastern a stern tropics, 
the south of Europe, the Cape, and Australasia. A simple and € 
means for getting rid of such pests, without recourse to e 
asures, would be of immense value to the tropical Rui 
