70 



THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



tulips were borne. The cause of such freaks is hard to discover. 

 The treatment of the freakish plants differed in no respect from 

 that given other normal plants near by except that just as they 

 were pushing through the soil the mulch with which they were 

 covered, accidentally caught fire, and burned for some time. 

 A fire in the haunts of the cinnamon fern is known to be the 

 cause of the variety fro^ndosa, but it is scarcely likely that the 

 additional flowers of the tulip were due to^ this stimulus. 



Insect Botanists. — The inexperienced often think of in- 

 sects as omnivorous feeders, willing to eat anything that hap- 

 pens to be valuable, but this is far from the truth. Adult in- 

 sects, at least such as live on nectar, may flit about from blos- 

 som to blossom careless of their botanical affinities, but their 

 larvae are usually more particular and demand their proper 

 food plant. When egg laying time comes, the hitherto- care- 

 free butterfly or moth must be certain of the identity of the 

 species upon which the eggs are deposited if she is interested 

 in continuing her particular family line. In cases where the 

 family food plant is rare or absent, other nearly allied plants 

 may often answer. In a pinch the potato bug will eat tomato, 

 egg plant or even the petunia of the garden. The cucumber 

 beetle has a fondness for many of the melon or gourd family. 

 In the case of boring larvae, however, which enter the stem 

 and feed on the interior of the plant, the species are often re- 

 stricted to a single host. This close association of insect and 

 host-plant has a curious bearing on a botanical problem that is 

 at present being discussed. The hop vine is a native of Europe 

 and Asia, and is apparently widely distributed in the New 

 World. There is some question, however, as tO' whether the 

 Old World plant and the one found in North America are iden- 

 tical. Botanists are divided on the subject, but the insects have 

 settled the matter to their own satisfaction in favor of there be- 

 ing two species ; at least, each form has a different species of 

 boring larvae that infests it. If such cases continue to multiply, 



