144 
“The false hope that the bare stripped fir trees would grow again 
did much harm, leading people to put their hands in their pockets, : and 
sit still instead of t. aking active measures. Hundreds of marks, again, 
had been spent ice thousands should have been laid out. No one had 
any idea of the real extent of the calamity, In 1890, 60,000 caterpillars 
h 
since 1889, 79 kilometres, or 483 miles, of light railroad had been made 
in the injured forests. L 00,000 cubic yards of wood had been cut in 
the Ebersberger Forest alone, i in general all the wood cut had been 
sold sem material loss in 
ousands of workmen had been employed and laborious steps taken 
io carry out a well conceived plan. It had been said that the lime rings 
Pre ee han use eee insects passed their lives in the upper parts of 
the But as proved that probably 70 per cent. of the cater- 
pilas e crept or fell $ó the ground particularly on warm days and returned 
e evening. us by means of the lime rings, which stopped the ` 
returning insects i they were able to kill them by thousands, 
which proved the use of the rin The diseases which attack the 
* nonnen * were not yet sufficiently un understood. The overnment could 
not wait for an eventual deliverance from nature, but must bestir itself. 
In the Ebersberg Forest especially (23,000 morgen in size) [1 morgen 
as hoped 
— l aere] it was hope overcome the * nonnen? Communes ad 
private persons had asked the aid of the State, but unfortunately money 
was wanting. Lime in abundance had been offered to the neighbours : 
of the State forests; unfortunately some had refused, through want of 
belief or see of time. All oug ght to unite in combatting the evil. The 
campaign against the ‘ nonnen? cost 2,000,000 marks [100,000/.] as 
against 12. ,000, 000 marks [600,000/.], the amount of the proceeds of the 
timber By uni united exertions Bavaria might hope to drive away 
this great danger to her forests." 
It will be observed that the Minister of Finance considers that there 
are hopes that the pest may at last be got rid of, but that this depends 
upon everyone interested carrying out the epi remedies 
e, &c. 
: å (Signed) VicroR DRUMMOND, 
The Marquis of Salisbury, K.G., 
&c. &c. &c. 

CCLI.—PRICKLY PEAR IN MEXICO. 
The spread of the Prickly Pear in South Africa has led to consider- 
mm interest being taken in the best means either to destroy the plants 
together, or to render them of some service in the rural economy of 
te country. In the Kew Bulletin, 1888, p. 165, and Mie p. 186, 
there is given full information on these points. In à rece t despatch 
ves atn "cs - Foreign Office from Her Majesty's Minister i in Mexico, 
d cated to this establishment, there is an interesting account . 
of du "Prickly Pear in what may be regarded as its native country. | 
Even res se the use to which the plant is dum is not see RN 
