248 
Jlarch  24,  1904. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Use  and  Abuse  of  Botanising. 
After  the  luonthlv  dinner  at  tlie  Horticultural  Club,  held  in 
the  Hotel  Windsor. ‘on  the  8th  inst..  under  the  presidency  of 
Mr.  Harry  J.  Veitch.  the  Rev.  Professor  Henshnv.  IM.A..  F.L.S.. 
Arc.,  gave  a  most  interesting  address  on  the  "  L  se  and  Abuse  of 
Botanising.”  Taking  the  abuses  first,  he  severely  criticised  those 
amateurs  whom  he  divided  into  two  classes,  the  mere  gatherers, 
wlio,  on  so-called  botanising  excursions,  do  so  much  to  denude 
the  country  of  its  floral  and  ferny  gems  by  indiscriminate  rooting 
up,  only  to  be  followed  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases  by  sub.sequent 
throwing  away  or  installations  in  gardens  followed  by  neglect 
which  leads  to  identical  results,  and  collectors  who  do  a  vast  deal 
of  similar  damage  on  more  recognised,  but  still  unsystematic 
lines.  Some  of  these  latter,  too,  are  guilty  of  criminal  selfishness, 
their  chief  aim  being  the  uniciue  possession  of  rarities,  to  secure 
Avl)ich  they  actually  destroy  any  surplus,  and  in  this  way  con¬ 
tribute  to  entire  extermination. 
A  noted  station  of  Pinguicula  grandifiora  was  instanced  as  a 
case  in  point,  not  a  single  specimen  being  left  after  a  raid  of  this 
kind.  Mr.  t'has.  F.  Pearson  subseriuently  instanced  similar 
cases  of  vandalism  in  connection  with  rare  birds’  eggs  and 
entomological  rarities,  and  the  gist  of  the  discu.ssion  which  fol¬ 
lowed  the  addre.ss,  and  in  which  Messrs.  C.  T.  Druery,  Geo.  Paul, 
T.  W.  Sanders,  Waterer,  and  H.  J.  Veitch  participated,  was  the 
absolute  necessity  of  some  more  stringent  laws  for  the  protection 
of  wild  plants  and  wild  birds,  A-c.,  from  thc'  raids  now  made  upon 
their  habitats  by  amateur  .so-called  botani.sts  and  collectors  and 
gatherers,  especially  Including  those  who  for  mere  purposes  of 
gain  “  skin  the  planet,”  a^-  Shirley  Hibberd  put  it,  in  order  to 
supply  the  markets  Avith  this  A'andalised  material. 
Air.  Druery  instanced  seA’eral  cases  Avhich  had  come  under  his 
notice  of  unic|ue,  ferns  which  had  been  de.stroyed  by  the  rei)eated 
collection  of  their  fronds  for  the  making  of  dried  herbarium 
.specimens,  so  that  now  nothing  remained  of  such  natural  gifts 
to  mankind,  but  a  few  dried  fronds  in  scattered  herbaria,  instead 
of,  as  in  cases  he  alluded  to,  not  only  herbaria  generall.v,  but 
collections  of  living  specimens  being  peimianently  enriched  by 
tlie  careful  transference  of  the  rarity  in  a  living  state  to  cultui’e, 
and  its  subsequent  propagation  on  an  extended  scale.  He  also 
mentioned  a  kindred  case  to  that  of  Pinguicula  grandifiora,  a 
habitat  of  a  rare  fern  in  Scotland  being  aljsolutely  cleared  by  a 
raid  of  students  led  by  a  professor  to  the  spot  which  had  unfor¬ 
tunately  become  knoAvn  to  them.  Professor  Henslow  subse(iuently 
treated  of  the  recognised  and  invaluable  services  rendered  by 
herbaria  on  systematic  lines,  enabling  the  comparison  by  experts 
of  specimens  deriA^ed  from  all  piirts  of  the  Avorld,  and  thus 
facilitating  that  classification  Avhich  is  one  of  the  most  difficult 
botanical  tasks. 
Turning  to  the  evolution  of  botanical  knoAvledge,  he  Avent  back 
to  the  old  times  Avhen  plants  Avere  only  interesting  on  account 
of  their  actual  or  assumed  medical  A'irtues.  Avhen  the  herbalist 
Avas  practically  the  only  botanist,  and  as  an  exemplification  of 
the  ridiculous  ideas  prevalent  in  those  daj^s,  and  apparently  even 
in  these,  he  jAroduced  a  recent  addition  of  Culpeper’s  “  British 
Herbal  and  Family  Physician,”  of  Avhich  some  80,000  copies  had 
been  sold  Avithin  the  last  fifty  years,  and  Avhich  Ava.s  still 
sufficiently  in  demand  to  pay  Avell  for  publishing.  In  this  book 
all  kinds  of  occult  medical  A’irtues  are  associated  Avith  the 
infiuence.s  of  the  A’arious  planets,  in  Avhat  Avould  be  a  most 
amusing  fashion,  did  it  not  involve  a  very  serious  reflection  on  the 
intelligence  of  the  purchasers  and  the  progress  of  real  knowledge 
in  these  so-called  enlightened  time,s.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
address  and  discussion  it  aa  as  announced  that  Air.  T.  W.  Sanders, 
F.L.S.,  would  give  a  paper,  entitled  “  Back  to  the  Land,”  at  the 
next  )neefing  of  the  club  on  April  19.  A  A’ery  hearty  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  ReA^  Professor  closed  the  proceedings. 
- *  ^  » - 
Entomological  Notes. 
The  Leopard  Moth  as  a  Fruit  Producer. 
Reference  to  this  insect  at  page  190  reminds  one  of  the  late 
Fdward  NeAvman’s  statement,  rather  startling,  that  trees  infected 
by  the  leopard  caterpillar  often  bear  more  fruit  than  trees  iier- 
fectly  sound.  That  some  such  cases  occur  I  have  proof,  but  I 
do  not  think  this  continues  long.  The  borings  of  the  insect  must 
tend  to  weaken  the  tree,  though  the  same  entomologist  may  also 
Ve  right  in  his  assertion  that  it  seldom  kills  one.  But,  by  the 
caterpillar’s  operations,  large  branches  are  sometimes  brought 
off,  and  it  is  too  Avell  known  as  a  killer  of  Ash  saplings,  to  the 
annoyance  of  Hop  growers.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  look  upon  the 
trunk.s  of  trees  for  patches  of  eggs  Avhen  the  moths  are  about 
in  summer.  Probably  this  moth  Avould  be  much  more  abundant  if 
it  Avero  not  so  diligentl.v  hunted  by  the  common  sparroAv  and  by 
bats.-  FxTO.AioLocasT. 
FloAwer-bud  Destroyers 
Farmers  and  fruit  groAvers  are  Avell  acquainted  Avith  the  mis¬ 
chief  done  to  Apple  and  Pear  blossoms  in  April  by  the  tiny  cater¬ 
pillars  or  grubs  of  little  moths  and  Aveevils,  Avhich  haA'e  deposited 
oggs  ill  0<ivly  spring.  They  out  tlie  uiiexpniuled  parts  of  tho 
floAA'ers,  making  a  sort  of  chamber  in  Avhich  they  Ha'c.  ai  last 
leaving  only  the  rind,  Avhicli  falls  to  the  ground.  1  he  question 
of  moment  is.  Do  these  insects  seriously  reduce  the  fruit  crop.’' 
In  the  opinion  of  several  entomologists,  including  the  great 
German  authorit,y,  the,v^  do  not  as  a  rule.  Nature  produces 
floAvers  on  the  fruit  trees  in  such  profusion  that  it  is  impossible 
for  half,  or  a  quarter  of  them,  to  come  to  maturity,  so-  many 
must  drop  immature.  Where  caterpillars  are  absent  it  has  been 
noticed  that  small  Apples  and  Pears  frequently  fall  by  thousands  ; 
the  insects,  tliercfore,  help  to  make  a  needful  reduction. — 
ExTOJIOLOCaST. 
San  Jose  Scale. 
This  pest,  Avhich  affects  fruit  trees,  made  its  appearance  in 
the  United  Slates,  cast  of  the  Rockies,  about  ten  years  ago. 
and  it  is  about  seven  years  since  it  appeared  in  Ontario.  It 
and  caused 
finest  fruit 
large' 
manv 
in 
spread  rapidly  in  the  Avestern  portions  of  Ontario, 
great  loss,  especially  in  the  Niagara  district,  the 
groAving  region  of  Canada,  Avhere,  at  St.  Catherine’s, 
Peach  orchards  of  If), 090  trees  Avere  utterly  ruined. 
By  the  energetic  action  of  the  local  Government  mucli  has 
been"  done  to  localise  the  ravages  of  the  disease,  Avhich  other- 
Avise  Avould  have  spread  to  most  parts  of  the  Dominion.  To-day 
the  solution  of  the  San  Jose  Scale  problem  lies  Avithin  the  reach 
of  all  fruit  grenvens.  Experimentation  has  demonstrated  that 
there  are  five  more  or  less  effectHe  remedies,  of  Avhich  appa¬ 
rently  spraying  Avith  a  mixture  of  lime,  sulphur,  and  salt  seem.s 
at  present  to  be  the  most  popular.  The  otheus  are  crude 
petroleum  ;  crude  petroleum  and  Avhale  oil  soap  emulsion ; 
and  Avhale  oil  soap  emulsion,  Avhich,  though  effective,  are  k'ss 
popular,  oAving  to  the  difficulty  in  making  the  mixture  and  the 
disagreeablcness  of  application. 
The  advantage  of  the  lime,  sulphur,  and  salt  treatment  is 
its  economy.  One  fruit  groAver  states  that  it  only  cost  him  £2 
(ten  dollars)  for  outside  help  to  spray  forty 
and  809  Peach  frees  Avith  the  mixture.  The 
is  made 
Apple  trees 
preparation 
up  on 
fifteen  and 
The  lime  is 
in  a  barrel 
the  fifteen, 
ten  formula, 
slaked  sloAvly 
Avith  four  gallons  of  water, 
the  .sifted  sulphur  added 
Avitb  stirring  to  the  hot 
mixture,  and  the  Avhole 
boiled  for  an  hour.  Salt  is 
then  added,  and  the  mix¬ 
ture  boiled  for  lialf  an 
hour  longer. 
A  ncAv  insecticide, 
called  the  AIcBain  Car¬ 
bolic  Wash,  Avas  tried  for 
the  first  time  last  summer, 
and  ha.s  given  much  satis¬ 
faction  ;  but  further  ex¬ 
periments  are  necessary 
to  determine  if  the  winter 
applications  will  prove 
equally  successful.  It  is 
a  black,  oily  liquid,  and 
smells  strongly  of  crude 
carbolic  oil.  The  other  in¬ 
gredients  are  pine  tar  and 
fish  oil.  In  California  the 
McBain  Wash  has  been  in 
use  for  some  yeans  as  a 
scale  remedy.  A  .strong 
point  in  favour  of  the 
Avash  is  the  readiness  and 
ease  Avith  which  the  spray 
of  the  liquid  can  be  pre¬ 
pared,  and  its  application 
by  the  spray  pump  is  not 
an  unpleasant  operation. 
Tlie  San  Jose  scale,  we 
might  add,  is  very  minute 
— smaller  even  tlian  the 
Mu.sse]  scale  of  our  own 
Apple  orohards  —  and 
specimens  are  to  be  seen 
in  the  cclleption  of  in¬ 
jurious  insects  at  the 
Tulipa  Kaufmanniana  aurea. 
Natural  History  Museum, 
South  Kensington,  Lon¬ 
don. 
