266 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
what anything- is good for. The teachers of botany 
seem to think that the last thint; they should mention 
is the tises of a plant. It is lanu-ntaljle that so little is 
known by the vast majorit}^ of us in this respect. Fox- 
glove, mullein, Hemlock, Hoarhound, Ginseng, Lo- 
belia, Blessed Thistle, Pokeberry, Buttonbush, Jimson 
Weed, to mention a few, are among the wild plants 
whose roots, bark, stems, or flowers are used medici- 
nally, in cases of fever, as blood purifiers. I have been 
reading Dr. Blair's "Botanic Drugs," as a help to fur- 
ther knowledge in this direction, and other informa- 
tion is found in such Ixioks as Prof. G. S. Boulger's 
"The Uses of Plants," in some of the Kew Guides to 
Economic Plants, and in sundry other articles in phar- 
maceutical journals. 
* * * 
From Dr. lllair's book we learn that the common 
greenhouse Cyclamen is a "drastic purgative and danger- 
ous abortifacient used in homeopathic practice in the 
treatment of anemia." Geum urbanum, the Walter 
Avens, is "a tonic and astringent used in the treatment of 
diarrhea." Rue (Ruta graveolens ) is "a stimulant and 
antispasmodic, acrid narcotic in large doses." Soapwort 
(Saponaria ofificinalis), "interferes with cardiac (heart) 
and respiratory function." Contains saponin, which is 
"violently toxic to man." The flowers of the Linden 
furnish a nerve tonic. Our beautiful Lily of the X'alley 
contains convallarmarin, "a very active agent, to be used 
with great care." It has an action similar to the very 
action of Digitalis (Foxglove) on the heart, and in ad- 
dition to this has a cathartic or purgative effect. It is 
because of its medicinal or pharmacological properties 
that it is advised not to chew the stem or keep it in the 
mouth. Bitter tonics are oljtained from Pansy, Chamo- 
mile (a well known old drug plant) Cornus, Gentian and 
Prunus virginiana (wild cherry).. To relieve flatulency 
such herbs as Myrrh Lavender, and hyssop are advised, 
as well as Spearmint, Peppermint, and Valerian. Prunes 
are helpful in reducing acidity. Elder flowers, Helle- 
borus. Inula, Allium, Dandelion, Thuja, are diuretics, and 
indeed there are plants to aid us in all our ailments. I 
often think of the old Scotch Highland women, in one of 
Sir Walter Scott"s books, who knew the uses of all the 
native plants, who combed the wool, spun it, wove it into 
plaids, and who were able to stain the garment into the 
bright colors of their clans by their expert knowledge of 
all the plants around them. And we today know so little. 
* * * 
What vermin the tussock moths or rather their cater- 
pillars are. There is a tree in a small park in the center 
of New York that is completely and absolutely defoliated. 
I have never seen a tree so thoroughly left leafless in my 
life. It may not kill the tree, but may, like the beech tree 
that has been nipped by a late frost, break into fresh foli- 
age, but this is doubtful. The Plane trees have wonder- 
ful recuperative powers, not from insect pests, but from 
the destructiveness of man. I saw a row of handsome 
leafy trees pruned in to the bone, metaphorically speak- 
ing, at the time of the coronation of the late King Ed- 
ward. These were around the Westminster Abbey and 
happened to be in the way of the grand stand that was 
erected there. The big branches were ruthlessly sawn off. 
leaving the trees mere posts with some side limbs. For 
weeks in midsummer they remained seemingly lifeless but 
gradually rehabilitated themselves and became shapely 
and good specimens in a matter of three or four years. 
The most barbarous pruning I ever remember, however, 
occured on a line of old elm trees. When the elm gets 
along in years, its bigger branches become unsafe and 
often fall suddenly and without warning, even on still 
da\s. The trees referred to were by the side of a public 
higlnvay and they were sawed straight through the mid- 
dle of the main trunk at about 30 feet in height. That 
seemed to be the end of them, but no. Gradually growth 
was forced toward the top of the headed trunks and 
strong branches began to grow. As with the Plane trees, 
so with these ; they became quite good enough road side 
bushy trees in a few seasons. 
This topping of trees is practised in nurseries. At one 
notalile nursery the men were recently performing this 
surgical operation on trees fifteen feet high which are 
being developed for street ])lanting. Many street trees, 
seen in the summer, appeared to be doing poorly, yet 
they had been planted carefully and did not seem to have 
suffered from lack of water. It is to be feared that such 
trees have a poor root system, owing to neglect in trans- 
planting in the nursery, and also to want of due care in 
keeping the fibrous roots from drying from the time they 
leave the nursery until they are transplanted. It has 
raised my ire and stirred my sympathy for the poor trees 
to see stock lifted in the nursery and left exposed to a 
drying wind and sun, sometimes for an hour or longer. 
Roots that have no ball of soil, should be immediately 
puddled ; while bigger trees with a ball should be bound 
up in burlap. Reverting for a minute to pruning and 
heading back, it may not be generally known that big 
linilied apple trees can be sawn right across — or it may be 
the main trunk — and have cleft grafts inserted arotuid the 
edge. A friend of the writer sawed his old Apple trees 
oli" about breast high, grafted as stated and soon had a 
new orcliard or new, profitable and improved varieties. 
* * * 
In writing of the tussock moths, I intended to mention 
some other insidious insect gentry, whose attentions are 
so unpleasantly conspicuous just now. Gooseberries? 
Oh, the trouble one has to keep ofif the so-called Currant 
worm, a green caterpillar of all sizes, from a half inch 
to nearly one and a half inches long. Powdered lime, 
hellebore, hand picking, kerosene, and soft emulsion of 
soap, all have had a trial and yet the beggars survive. 
If one goes away from home for three days, surely on 
returning, some more worms are chew, chew, chewing. 
Hellel^ore seems actually a spice and nicotine a relish. 
Then the peach is infected at the tips of the young shoots 
by a tiny grub, half an inch long, which totally destroys 
their future growth, although the laterals may develop. 
Th's presumably is the larva of the fruit bark beetle — not 
to be confused with the curculio which has ruined several 
of my larger trees from time to time. This latter works 
carefully in spring and in fall. Digging them out with 
a ]3iece of wire is the surest remedy. Covering up the 
base with lime has also proved a preventive. This year 
I have escaped any trouble from Onion ma.ggot, but the 
foliage of beets has been attacked by the leaf miner. It 
leaves unsightly foliage but does no real harm. This 
causes real loss to Swiss Chard, since it is the leaves that 
are used as a vegetable. "Poor man's vegetable" it is 
called. Lastly, for the present, the cabbage maggot which 
infests the stems and roots, caused the collapse of part of 
the crop, but the rainy weather gave the plants a chance 
and they recovered. 
^ ^ ^ 
It has often struck me as incongruous that we carden- 
ers will studv "all about Sweet Peas," Pansies. Gerani- 
ums. Cannas, Tulips, and the plants of the gardens as a 
whole and more or less in detail, yet never go outside the 
garden walls or fences for an afternoon's quiet botanizing 
— or if that learned word is objected to — let us call it just 
a ramble among the wild flowers. A young fellow who 
(Continued on page 288.) 
