768 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Botanic Gardens, Tropical. By J. C. Willis (Ann. Jard. Bot. 



Suit. 3rd supp. 1st part, 1910, pp. 226-23'1).— The history of the 

 foundation and development of tropical botanical gardens is traced in 

 this paper. In Europe botanical gardens were first founded as an aid 

 to the science of curative medicine and begin with the garden at Padua 

 in 1545. 



The earliest tropical botanical garden seems to have been the one in 

 Ceylon founded in 1760 for the introduction and acclimatization of 

 plants from other countries into Ceylon. The famous garden of 

 Buitenzorg, in Java, was established in 1817. At the time when Dr. 

 Treub took over the direction of this garden, in 1880, almost all the 

 useful plants which could be introduced had already found a home in 

 the garden, and most of the native plants were represented in it. Dr. 

 Treub, however, struck out in a fresh direction and opened out a nev; 

 sphere of usefulness for the garden. The work of the older botanic 

 gardens was based simply on systematic botany; but now, largely 

 under the influence of Dr. Treub, the garden at Buitenzorg began to 

 reflect the development of the whole field of botany, including more 

 especially the study of the fungi, of vegetable physiology, of plant 

 breeding and evolution, and of many other lines of work. Further 

 developments of the Buitenzorg and other tropical botanic gardens are 

 touched upon in the article. — R. B. 



Brassocattlaelia x Fiirstenbergii. By T. Franke (Ordus, 



vol. iv. pt. iv. pp. 67-58; 1 plate). — This hybrid is a cross between 

 Cattleya Triahiae and Brassolaelia Gratrixiae. It bears beautiful 

 orange -coloured flowers. — S. E. W. 



Brown Rot. By T. Johnston (Agr. Gaz. N.S.W. March 

 1910, pp. 194-195; 1 plate). — Apples, tomatos, peaches have been | 

 attacked by Gioeosporiwm fructigenum in New South Wales. A much | 

 more common fungus is Monilia fructigena, which attacks plums, j 

 nectarines, apricots, cherries, and pears, in addition to the fruit pre- j 

 viously named. In both cases brown rot is the result. All diseased I 

 fruit and twigs must be destroyed. The trees should be sprayed with j 

 Bordeaux mixture in early spring, and again just after the fruit has set. 



S. E. W. 



Brown-tail and Gipsy Moths, Caterpillars of the. By S. A. 



Forbes {U.S.A. Hort. Soc, Illinois, Trans. 1909, new ser. vol. xliii. 

 pp. 96-102 ; 2 plates).— -These two pests are well known in Europe, the 

 latter being stated to have caused a great deal of damage to the German 

 forests in 1908. Both are prevalent in the New England States, | 

 and the importation of infested nursery stock from abroad is assisting j 

 their spread westwards. The Department of Agriculture, U.S.A., is j 

 doing good work in introducing from Europe the native parasites of ( 

 these insects, a work which is making such successful progress that j 

 neither of the pests seems likely to become seriously destructive. The 

 brown-tail seems to be less easily controlled by parasites than the gipsy 



