DEAR DOCTOR* 



YOUR* INTERESTING LSTTER INCLOSING THAT ANOMALOUS . CHERRY 

 CAME DULY. EVER SINCE RECEIVING I T t THE WISLIZENI QUESTION HAS BEEN 



• »WORM»NG» • ME, AND I HAVE LOOKED AT EVERY OAK THAT CAME I N MY WAY,!.* 

 E. AT A FEw'huNDRED, TRYING THAT #ARK OF YOURS ABOUT THE CUPPED LEAVES, 

 THERE ARE ' * LOTS* • . W I TH LEAVES CUPP&1? AND LEAVES FLAT, LEAVES ENTIRE 

 AND LEAVES AQUIFOLIOUSJ BUT THE TROUBLE IS THAT ON ANY MODERATELY 

 SIZED TREE, YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND ALL SORTS, ON ONE AND THE SAME TRUNK. 

 EVRY NOW & THEN, IN MY PERAMBULAT*! ONS, AN INTERNAL CONSC I OUSNE SS WH I S- 

 PERED * CATARP I LLARS* ' * - tBHCPNTE 0 IN VAIN FOR A TREE I REMEMBERED TO 

 HAVE SEEN TEEMING WITH LAST YEARS FRUIT, UNTIL THIS EVENING. ANO I THIN 

 I MAY NOW DEFINE G*. WISLIZENI AS BEING SIMPLY A " CATARP I LLARE 0 » » Q # 

 AGRIFOLIA. THE SPECIMENS | MAIL WITH THIS, AND WHICH ARE FROM ONE ANO 

 THE SAME TREE, WILL, I THINK, CARRY CONV I C T I Off/ 1 TH THEM. YOU WILL SEE 

 ON ONE AND THE SAME TWIG ACORNS OF LAST YEAR AND ACORNS OF THIS YEAR*> 

 BOTH EVEIOENTLY DESTINED TO R I PEN THIS YEAR, AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF 

 EACH OTHER. THIS TREE NOURISHED TWO GENERATIONS OF CATARP I LLARS LAST 

 YEAR, AND WAS PUTTING OUT ITS THIRD CROP OF LEAVES WHEN THE RAINS CAME, 

 IN NOVEMBER LAST. DO YOU WONDER THAT IT HAD NOT THE STRENGTH TO R I PEN # 

 ACORNS? 

 CATARP I LLAF 



I. E. ON SUISUN BAY. OUR TREES BLOSSOMED VERY ABUNDANTLY, THOSE THAT M 

 WERE BADLY EATEN LAST YEAR SEEMINGLY MOST SO, BUT FROM TWO TO THREE 



LATER; VIDE THE SPECIMENS SENT YOU BEFORE. WHILE THEY WERE IN FULL 

 A SLIGHT ATTACK WAS MADE BY THE CATARPLLLARJ AND THIS CIRCUMSTAN- 

 CE ENABLES ME AT ONCE TO IDENTIFY THE HABIT OFTHE CRITICAL TREE IN 

 QUESTION, WITH THAT CAUSE^Y THE SAME CAUSE THIS YEAR. YOU NOTICE THAT 

 THE LAST YEARS ACORNS ARE EXCESSIVELY CROWDED, MUCH MORE SO THAN THOSE 

 OF THIS. YEAR ON THE SAMeItwIG. NOW THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT I FIND TO BE 

 THE CASE " 



- BUT THE FERTILIZED OVARIES REMAINED LATENT; THIS YEAS^, THE 

 <RWAS VERY MILD HERE, THOUGH VERY SEVERE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS 



WEEK 

 BLOO 



IN THE TREE THAT HAD THE SLIGHT ATTACK THIS YEAR. IN THE BRAN- 

 CHES THAT HAD BEEN HEADED IN BY THE INSECT, YOU SEE THE SAME CROWDED 

 HABIT, WHILE IN OTHER TWIGS FROM THE SAME TREE, THE ACORNS ARE SCATTERED 

 AS USUAL. VIDE BUNCH NO. 2. IT IS ALSO VERY NOT I CE ABLE HOW SMALL, FEW 



AND WEAK ARE THE ACORNSOF > 7 6 ON THE TWIGS WHERE THOSE OF • 75 ARE ABUNDAKTft 

 I WASpTRU CK WITH THE SAME THING WHEN OBSERVING THE SHRUBBY FOR* OF WHICH. 

 SENT YOU A SPECIMEN, AND WHOSE '76FRUIT YOU EVIDENTLY THINK WILL NOT 

 PEN THE SAME YEAR. I WILL SEE ABOUT THAT IN DUE TIME; BUT I D I3 TINCT- 



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