May II, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
599 
Botany in the Rain 
By W. G. BOWDOIN 
I T- was a lowering day on Saturday, April 27, 
the day set for the Brooklyn Institute Botani¬ 
cal Field Meeting at Annadale Station, 
Staten Island. However, your true botanist is noth¬ 
ing if not enthusiastic, and in spite of threatening 
weather conditions, E. L. Morris, acting curator- 
in-chief of the Brooklyn Institute Central 
Museum, mustered a littfe company of fourteen, 
and a start was made to the botanical hunting 
grounds that had been chosen at Annadale, 
Staten Island. 
One of the first of the botanical units en¬ 
countered was the prairie willow, characterized 
by its flowers in catkins. It shone bright green 
and its leaves were long and inversely lance¬ 
shaped. Passing an example of the hobble bush, 
or as it is sometimes called, the wayfaring tree, 
the spring beauty in full white flower was en¬ 
countered. This is a charmingly delicate bloom 
that is found at its best in open moist woods, 
and the woods were certainly both open and 
moist on this trip. Thomas Wentworth Hig- 
ginson speaks of this flower in his delightful 
essay, “The Procession of the Flowers,” in which 
he refers to the legend that this flower (C/oy- 
toiiia) is the Indian Miskodeed, and was said 
to have been left behind when mighty Peboan, 
the winter, was melted by the breath of spring. 
It often lingers until the end of May. Then 
came some of the ephemeral wood rushes, and 
more violets. 
The party presently found themselves on the 
road leading from New Dorp to Tottenville and 
known as the Amboy Road. Here some sand 
violets were found, then some osmundas, throw¬ 
ing up their curious croziers or “fiddle-heads” 
and nestling close beside a pond of dark-colored 
water. Some members of the pulse family grew 
nearby. These were the false or wild indigos. 
From such plants some poor indigo was at one 
time derived. The blooms have not yet appeared. 
Almost in the direct path was found a hickory 
about eighteen inches high. In its immediate 
vicinity was an oak in the making. It had not 
reached the height of the hickory, but was a 
fair example of the genus of which there are 
eight species in the Staten Island woods. A 
thistle was next seen with its spiked leaves now 
very soft and flexible, but which become later 
very stiff and spiny. Some gray birches grew 
along the route. Then came some wind-flowers 
or wood anemones, delicate little plants that are 
among the first to welcome the spring time. 
Some of the wood asters showed signs of life 
and seemed to wish to report progress and give 
promise of a wealth of flower in August and 
September. Some dwarf blueberries (early) 
were growing a little further on. Following 
these the party found some wood-betony, or 
lousewort. These will produce yellow and pur¬ 
plish red flowers during May. These follow 
closely the earliest of the spring flowers. A 
little to one side of the indeterminate route 
taken, the party came upon some rotting wood 
that becomes phosphorescent in the dark. This 
phenomenon arises because of the fungus growth 
upon the woody surface, and differs entirely 
from the phosphoresence observed in certain of 
the sea weeds which is due to the fluorescence 
and opalescence of some of their albuminous 
substances or from the iridescence of their ciiti- 
cular layers. 
Crossing a little brook some fresh water algae 
(green slime) was observed. These plants gen¬ 
erate oxygen gas and sometimes in sufficient 
quantities to light bubbles of it with a match. 
Wild lilies of the valley grew near this brook. 
This was true also of some wild geranium 
(cranesbill). The coarse and singular skunk 
cabbage, with its ill odor, was likewise found 
here. The inflorescence had passed, but it was 
growing lustily. 
Wild onion, adder’s tongue (lily), partridge 
berry that had survived from last season, small 
pyrola, common fleabane, not yet in flower, 
touch-me-not of the jewel weed family, a swamp 
pink, some sweet white violets, plantin seedlings, 
young plants of yarrow, wild strawberry plants 
in bloom, a flowering shadbush or service berry 
in white flower and indicative of the open sea¬ 
son for shad, were also among the botanical 
finds on this trip. A curious oak gall was also 
found. This gall was produced by the sting of 
the gall wasp which deposits its eggs simultan¬ 
eously with the sting. These cause a malforma¬ 
tion of leaf tissue that are called galls. It is 
generally possible to determine the insect or 
fungus by which they are induced. 
Another interesting find was a chestnut tree 
doomed by the cank that has wrought so much 
destruction of these trees in our parks and 
forests where the chestnuts once grew abund¬ 
antly. 
Just before leaving the woods the party ob¬ 
served some red cedar stumps ■ sawn straight 
across, which indicated the activity of the lead 
pencil manufacturer who must have red cedar 
with which to make the useful lead pencils, even 
if he has to buy up the red cedar fences around 
a man’s farm, pay for them and throw in a 
metal fence by way of lagniappe. 
Results of Protection. 
Raleigh, N. C, April 17 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: The writer was walking last Sunday, 
an exquisite day, in the late afternoon in the 
woods and fields, with some of his little friends, 
and a lad among them remarked: “Our birds 
are getting gentler. I told mother the other day 
I really thought the birds want to play with us, 
like the squirrels do in the Capitol Square and 
all about town.” Here we were, in the glorious 
April weather, in a world of flowers; sometimes 
the ground all purple with violets, of several 
varieties; the dogwood almost like a snow drift 
in the woods, the yellow jasmine tossing its 
golden bells from many a bush, the azalea hold¬ 
ing up its pink trumpets and the trees showing 
every tint of green ; with song birds everywhere, 
mockingbirds, catbirds, thrushes, red birds, song 
sparrows and cooing doves, and woodpeckers of 
several kinds, including the pileated, coming and 
going or calling. Presently what the little boy 
had said came home to us, for having gathered 
a large armful of azalea, a hummingbird, an 
early visitor, by the way, came right to me and 
went from flower to flower, dipping also into 
some purple lilac and jasmine. He did not seem 
frightened when I called the children to come 
and see him, and he went round and round the 
big bouquet, sometimes within six inches of my 
face; his tiny eyes like beads, and the soft whir 
of the wonderful wings as dainty as those of 
a butterfly, while he turned his delicate bill this 
way and that into the cups of the flowers, then 
suddenly, turning about, faced me for an instant 
and went away like a bullet. The children were 
delighted at the sight and as we wandered yet 
further afield, they spoke of what had struck 
even them as a wonderful increase in the num¬ 
ber of song birds. It was almost dusk when we 
came home, and on the roadside a mockingbird 
in the top of an oak was doing grand opera and 
uttering notes which would make even Tetrazzini 
envious, and in the city, on a tree almost above 
a street railway line, another mocker was sing¬ 
ing farewell to the day. After night had fully 
come, this same bird was heard continuing his 
song. The Audubon Society has done much in 
doing this one thing, the protection of song birds 
and the bringing about of greater love for them. 
Fred A. Olds. 
Plant Lice—A Warning. 
The abundance of plant lice eggs on twigs sent 
to this office and numerous aphids upon young 
apple leaves are typical of conditions obtaining 
in 1909, a year when injury by these prolific pests 
was exceptionally severe. We then heard for 
the first time of “Aphis” apples. Apparently all 
that is required is a continuation of the cool 
backward weather to duplicate the outbreak of 
three years ago. The reason for this is that the 
plant lice multiply rapidly at rather low tempera¬ 
tures, while their natural enemies, such as lady 
beetles or lady bugs, flower flies and small para¬ 
sites, are comparatively inactive under such con¬ 
ditions. 
It is obviously advisable to watch developments 
closely and if the aphids become excessively 
abundant, spray before the leaves are badly 
curled and the pests therefore nearly inacces¬ 
sible, using a whale oil soap solution (one pound 
to six or seven gallons of water), a kerosene 
emulsion (the standard formula diluted with nine 
parts of water), or a tobacco solution. There 
are several excellent tobacco preparations on the 
market. It is essential in control w'ork of this 
character to hit the pests with the insecticide. 
The necessity for this spraying must be de¬ 
termined in large measure by local conditions and 
the probability of cool weather continuing long 
enough, so that it is unsafe to depend upon 
natural enemies. There is an excellent oppor¬ 
tunity for the exercise of judgment by the prac¬ 
tical fruit grower. E. P. Felt, State Entomologist. 
