CHAPTER XXIII

LETTERS TO PROFESSOR ROBERT WALLACE BEFORE 1900

Washing Wheat—Text-book on Insects—Grease-banding Trees—Steven Lecturer on Agricultural Entomology—Australian agriculture—Examiner in Agricultural Entomology—Insect cases presented to the University—Death of Miss G. E. Ormerod.

The four remaining chapters, consisting chiefly of letters addressed to the editor, are of a more general, less technical nature than those that go before. They deal more with University and personal matters, and with efforts being made to advance the cause of Economic Entomology than with the structural details and habits of insects.

_To Professor Robert Wallace, University of Edinburgh._

TORRINGTON HOUSE, ST. ALBANS, _August 20, 1888_.

DEAR PROFESSOR WALLACE,—I have delayed for a short time thanking you for your very kind present of your beautiful as well as valuable book on “Indian Agriculture,”[93] as I wished to make a little acquaintance with it before writing. Now I see what a great amount of serviceable information you have collected, and I am greatly obliged for such an addition to my library. I note what you wisely say about not substituting our implements hastily for native kinds better fitted to the land, but just now your explicit account of “wheat cleaning,” beginning at p. 227, interests me exceedingly. I should be so glad if, when you have leisure, you would tell me a little more about this. You mention Messrs. Dell and Son, of London, as the firm that specially gave you information. I have been in communication about cleaning wheat with some of the Hull millers, one of the large corn brokers in Liverpool, and some other places, and had not heard of the washing, and this point, to me at least, seems a very important one. When I have gone carefully into the subject, and had the different kinds of screening sent in bags they do not seem to me to have been wetted. If they can wash at one mill they can at another, and we might have a chance of getting these pest-bearing extras neutralised as to evil qualities. I should greatly like to show you my set of screenings from Hull, labelled with their uses.

Do you happen to be aware of its being a regular business to supply weed seed, &c., &c., to deteriorate imports—that is of course exports of Russia, &c.? I had an interview with one of a firm who used to take orders for this at Samara! I believe these foul screenings most likely brought Hessian fly, and I rather think from a larva I saw in the spring _Meromyza_ is come too.

It appears to me a deplorable thing that everything should be so absolutely arranged to import these nasty pests amongst us. If you will come I will show you my “pièces démonstratives.” I have not a book like yours to reciprocate your kind thought, but will you give the enclosed “Manual of Injurious Insects” a place in your collection. With kind remembrances from my sister.

_November 12, 1889._

About a text-book on Injurious Insects—it is not well to recommend one’s own work, but I most earnestly wish that I knew of any better English book for plain work than my own “Manual.” I formed it because there was no other book that met the everyday needs of Agricultural Entomology, excepting my own Annual Reports, and the Reports of the Department of Agriculture, which are formed in great part from my work and revised by myself. I do not know of any work on Agricultural Entomology which I can recommend.

If you want something very good about the lower creatures up to date I suppose you could not mend “Text Book of Zoology,” by Dr. Claus, translated by Adam Sedgwick. This is a grand book, but I would not put it in my students’ hands without a strong observation that I consider Darwinianism, &c., of this nature perfectly unproved and baseless. I certainly think that presently this view will follow “spontaneous generation.”[94] But to go on, Curtis’ “Farm Insects” is an excellent book up to date of publication, but that is long ago now, and the second edition is an issue of the original sheets with a new preface—also £1 1s. is a great deal for students to give. If you want a book for your own study, “Die Praktische Insektenkunde,” by Dr. Taschenberg is to my thinking unrivalled for practice and science—price circa £1 4s.

Now about your Australian larvæ. The longer and larger is a lepidopterous caterpillar; as far as I see nearly allied to our Turnip caterpillar, that is to say, of much the same nature as what we call Surface caterpillar here, and Cutworms in America. This would probably turn to a good-sized moth. The larvæ in the two other bottles appear to me to be beetle grubs, of the _Lamellicornes_—you will notice the three pairs of well-developed legs, and the peculiar swollen form of the caudal extremity. I should suppose that like our Cockchafer (figs. 58) (or some other Chafer) maggots, that they fed at the roots of grass or other plants, but I should not like to commit myself to giving even a generic name to exotic pests in larval state. Would not a letter to Mr. Frazer Crawford, Adelaide, be the best way to gain information about prevention? And about figuring, if you sent specimens to Messrs. West, Newman & Co., 54, Hatton Garden, London, E.C., they would get them well figured—but still as the grubs and caterpillar have been so long in spirit the exact shape could not be conveyed.

I am delighted to hear that you are making progress about attention to insect pests in your University. When Professor Harker[95] was here lately, he told us something about these matters, and I cordially wished him the post of lecturer.

_November 25, 1889._

I drew attention carefully in my first official report at the Royal Agricultural Society of England (when the Committee began again in November) to the need of caution [in connection with Codlin moth prevention] as to the adulteration that there might be in so-called cart grease, and also to the success of the plan of before greasing putting paper round the trees. On the first glance it might seem doubtful whether papering was not one of the “study” applications which there are too many of, but it answers so well, that at the great Toddington Fruit Grounds the managers told me they were treating 120,000 trees in this way. The paper is what is used by grocers as “grease proof.” It is passed in a broad band round the tree, and the overlapping ends fastened by paste and a band of bass mat or anything of that kind tied round to make sure of all being firm, and on this the “grease” is spread with a thin bit of wood—a sort of paper knife in fact. This kind of paper would, I should conjecture, be more certain to prevent the grease, &c., soaking into the tree than cloth. I have lately received copies of analyses of two or three kinds of cart grease which prove (in one case) to consist of grease and tar oils mixed with water and sulphate of lime. This did harm. Another consisted mainly of rosin oil, &c., mixed with a little carbonate of lime. This, I believe, answered quite well. I do not know how better to guard against mishaps than by starting the very earliest intelligence of important points round the newspapers as soon as ever I can; but you will believe me it is difficult to meet all sides. A Kentish correspondent wrote me that he was preparing his trees for dressing by cutting all the old bark off and then was going to tar on the fresh surface! If you would mention to your correspondent that my report of this month is in the “Agricultural Gazette” for November 18th, and that he would find some special cautions about grease-banding at p. 501, column 1, I think he might be interested, but if he cares to write to me on the subject I would gladly reply, or I would with pleasure explain any point to you that you would care to have details of.

In the second edition of my Manual, which I am doing all I properly can to get time to start through press, I hope to give the very valuable practical teaching of the last two years about orchard insect pest prevention, and I hope to be able to add good results of a special (very cheap and very nasty) kind of fumigation we are going to try next spring.

P.S.—Do you see how the “I.L.N. Almanac” has been helping itself to John Curtis’ figures and mine—and then giving the credit to Mr. Jabez Hogg? I have had a little representation to make to the editor, and an erratum slip is to be added to all unissued copies.

_January 21, 1890._

We expect Professor Harker here at the end of the week. Most likely he will come on here after his lecture at the Royal Veterinary College, at 4 p.m. on Friday next, and stay till Saturday, so we can bestow our best attention on affairs. I wish I saw a more hopeful state of things in (or for) the various matters [connected with entomological appointments].

Your letter came a few minutes after Professor Fream’s arrival, and we said nothing about the lectures on Entomology in Edinburgh, but I told him how affairs were standing about the Board of Agriculture, and that I had recommended Professor Harker in case an entomologist was wanted. He was very pleasant. I have known him so long I always like a talk with him, and amongst other points we went over some special work about students’ entomological examinations, and he left the impression on my mind that he would convey the requisite kind of information for your proposed lectures very satisfactorily to the hearers.

_February 14, 1890._

Some time ago, before I knew that your University Entomological Lectureship [Steven course] was in a sort of way private, I mentioned something about it to Mr. James Fletcher (Dominion entomologist), and he is delighted with the hoped-for advance. He says how very much, if circumstances had allowed, he should have liked to give the course. You would, indeed, have had “a feather in your cap” if you could have secured him.

What a sad loss we all have in Professor Little.

_April 18, 1890._

I return your two lists marked.[96] What you want is a set of cases with models and figures such as Mr. Mosley arranged for Kew. I told him he ought not to sell at as low a rate as he at first proposed, but I think that if strong card boxes were substituted for the nicely-finished mahogany ones, he could certainly let you have the cases at 7s. 6d. If you do not wish to open the cases (excepting for very special work), the board on which the exhibits are fixed might be fastened from below, and thus the cost of the beautiful work of one half sliding perfectly into the other half of the box saved.

_July 21, 1890._

I was lately down for a few days at Oxford, and took the opportunity of asking Professor Westwood whether, if you arranged to have a course of entomological lectures, and asked him to deliver them, there was any chance of his granting such a favour? I thought it was too much to hope for, but I gained his permission that you might write to him on the subject, and I really think that if it were so early that there was no fear of cold setting in, he would very likely undertake the set. Professor Westwood is, as Professor Riley well says, the “Prince of entomologists.” I do not suppose any one living has such knowledge extending over all branches of entomology as he has. He is the Hope Professor of Zoology at Oxford, so constantly in practice of lecturing on his own special subject, and very fond of making things clear to young people. He has attended greatly to the economic aspect, and if you could secure him, his lectures as the commencement of the Agriculture Entomological course would give an _éclat_ to the series that nothing else in the whole world would. To say he is Life President of the Entomological Society shows the respect he is held in on all hands. But you would have to be very careful of the good old man, for he never thinks of his 82 or 83 years, and he is not strong, though much more full of spirit than many a younger man. His address is: Professor J. O. Westwood, Walton Manor, Woodstock-road, Oxford. If you write to him he will think it over and tell you his views.

_July 7, 1891._

It is very kind of you to give me the copy (received this morning) of your beautiful and so very useful book. [“Agriculture and Rural Economy of Australia and New Zealand.”] I have been turning over a good many pages so as to have some idea of the contents before writing to thank you, and I cannot think how you could manage to collect all this very serviceable information there, or find time to condense it into this clear, readable form here. It is a very valuable addition to my library, and I value it much for its own worth, as well as your kind gift. How very honestly indeed you have acknowledged my little Cockchafer block; it is quite a pleasure to me to have it in your grand book.

I hope you have escaped the influenza, or had it favourably. It has been a serious visitation to us. My sister and I, and our housekeeper, Miss Hartwell, who acts as my amanuensis, were all seriously laid up in our beds at once! Such a time of misery, and inconvenience! I should like to write you about sundry matters of interest, but as very likely you are on the other side of the world, I had better postpone them.

_Somewhat Private._

_August 18, 1892._

I am very sorry to hear of your trouble in the loss of your brother,[97] and with your grief, and also the effects of the long hard run of work, you must be greatly needing a rest.

I hope and greatly desire to continue all my work, Home, Colonial, and publishing; also to act as referee to our Agricultural Journals just as before, but it is much more comfortable working up important points, to having everlastingly to be going over a routine often keeping one from attending to what may be of importance. Who will they get to take my place [at the Royal]? It seems to me a great pity that there is not a properly paid and competent officer for the Board of Agriculture and R.A.S.E. I am safe in saying this, for I never intend to take office again, not for any amount of money that could be offered, neither do I mean to do the work of Government or Society under the polite name of “kindly co-operating!”

The only person I know who appears to me to be qualified to take the post at the Royal Agricultural Society is Dr. Fream, and I conjecture that his hands are much too full to allow it. Still I should be glad if it were so. Professor Harker has great knowledge of beetles, and indeed, I believe, of insect ways and customs generally, but I should scarcely think his tastes would lead him to this sort of work. However I have not the least idea what the R.A.S.E. proposes to do.

_March 15, 1895._

As the time of your African trip is drawing near, I am just venturing to remind you, with what pleasure (if consistent with your own convenience) we would see you before you go. There appears to me to be a Gordian knot, and a few words (spoken not written) sometimes are invaluable on these occasions. I am pulling well with the European centres, but there are places where, much as I regret it, co-operation is not going on, and I think I might very likely get, as on a previous occasion, some most useful advice from yourself.

_April 9, 1895._

I am very sorry and disappointed to say that I am ailing and so I do not know whether in your own hardly run time, you would care (or could at all spare the while) to run down for an hour or two on Thursday. The special trouble is that lately a very small bit of glass jerked up from something I was doing at my right eye. I thought it only hit the eye, but nearly a week after I found injury resulted from the bit having embedded itself in the upper part of the eyeball and formed a small abscess. Of course it had to be operated on and I hope put all right, but the very long, weary operation and the cocaine, &c., &c., have so tired everything concerned that I have not got over it all yet. So I thought I ought to tell you. What I want to say as distinguished from writing is more in detail.

_March 19, 1896._

I make no doubt that I shall hear from our good friend Dr. Fream very shortly, or at least as soon as his much occupied time permits, but meanwhile I do not like to delay thanking you for kindly letting me know that the University Court had paid me the very gratifying compliment of appointing me co-examiner with Dr. Fream[98] in Agricultural Entomology. I think myself much honoured and much pleased also by their selection. If I might ask you to take the trouble, and it should be admissible, I should much like you to express to the University Court my grateful appreciation and assurance that I will endeavour to do whatever may be required in the office to the best of my ability.

_March 27, 1896._

I am really very greatly obliged to you for the clear and full explanation you have spared time to give me, in your letter received this afternoon, of the arrangement of my co-examinership. It does please me very much to have even this little post, for I look on it as a mark of approval of your grand old University; also I am very glad that you approved of my letter to the Secretary.

I never knew the injurious insects so active as they have been this winter, in air, earth, and water—in the latter to the great damage of watercress (chap. XVI.). I had yesterday, some good specimens of great mischief from clover-stem sickness and for the first time found a nice way of collecting quantities of the _Anguillulidæ_ (eel-worms) for observation. Generally they hide up in the rubbish, but I found that by teazing it out very finely in water on the slide and then carefully lifting it all away until the slide looked bare, that still such numbers of the eel-worms remained that they could be thoroughly examined.

_April 4, 1896._

I am now writing to you on a point on which I think that you—_ex officio_—are the first I should consult, and I should greatly like your opinion; and next (if, as I hope, you approve of my sister’s and my own proposed presentation), that you will kindly tell me to whom to apply in requisite form. We have, by request of the Council of the Bath and West Society, been preparing an exhibit of Economic Entomology for their approaching Show here. My sister’s part consists of twenty coloured diagrams, nineteen injurious insects and their works, and one finger and toe—these are very beautifully executed and fitted with loops all ready for hanging; size 26 ins. long by 21 wide. My part is seventeen cases—of which the enclosed slips, to be affixed on light slanting strips of wood at end or side of the cases, give just a general idea for observers without a catalogue (Appendix C.). I have tried, you will see, to give just a few illustrations of the main sorts of attack. Scientific names are used of course, but it is essentially an Agricultural Entomological exhibition made to help the plainest understanding, so I have not taken up space with mere scientific details, and I have spared neither trouble nor cost in procuring specimens, especially of the various _Œstridæ_ (bot-flies). Also that there might be no possible doubt as to accuracy of nomenclature I got Mr. O. E. Janson to spend two or three hours in rigid investigation, and the only error in naming he found was in the name, or synonym, of a decayed wood-eating wireworm-beetle which I removed to make all sure. Fifteen of the cases are white pine, with what I call “detection” fittings outside. The glass is laid on the top but is kept in place by a handsome narrow brass band. Thus the inside of the case is at once accessible for any authorised purpose; but those not knowing the arrangements would cause such a clatter and disturbance that their misdoings would be very public. The cases are all as nearly as may be 12 ins. by 8 by 2½. Two of them completing the seventeen are “Live Boxes” of polished mahogany, same size, but of different make to prevent escape.

Now, I much want you to tell us whether you think that after exhibition here the collection, including my sister’s diagrams, would be acceptable as a presentation to the museum of your Edinburgh University. It is not for me to speak of my own work, but I think it would be of use both in your work and Dr. Fream’s, so I am writing to you first of all. If approved and we can arrange comfortably, I contemplate sending it (at my own cost) in charge of an expert who could repair damage. I shall wait your reply with great interest.

_April 16, 1896._

Indeed, I thank you heartily for your kind letter of the 13th. It is a very great pleasure both to my sister and myself that you think our collection likely to be of use. I thought perhaps you had started on your long tour, so I wrote to Dr. Taylor, and yesterday we had a letter from him which pleased us exceedingly, with the kindly expressed acceptance of the University Court; and Sir W. Muir also was good enough to write, which we took to be very kind of him. I shall hope now, all being well, to collect, and (with permission) add as occasion allows. You would notice that some of the great attacks, _Tipula_ (Daddy longlegs), leather-jacket _grubs_, for instance, and _Charæas graminis_ (Antler moth), were not represented, for they were not about in the winter, but I shall hope to go on now. I should like you to see the cases, and we should much like a chat before you go; it is long since we met, and as the collection will not be free to go down till a little after the beginning of June, I suppose you will be far away then? I do not know the difference between the University Court and the Senatus. Very ridiculous you will think this; but I should like to understand about it.

_May 30, 1896._

Many thanks for your letter received this afternoon, with address of Sir Robert Murdoch Smith [the curator]. From this I understand that the collection is to be placed in the “Museum of Science and Art,” Chambers Street, as the property of the University Court of Edinburgh University? You will think me tedious, but I was under an impression that there was a “University Museum” _pur et simple_. I should not be easy at all in sending the exhibit down excepting in skilled hands. I had the great pleasure yesterday of showing them to the Prince and Princess (p. 123), and to-day I hear there is such a crowd that even our own people could only get a sight of two cases.

_October 22, 1896._

I was very much pleased to see this morning that you had returned safe from your long journey to Australia, and I hope that besides the immense quantity of useful work which I make no doubt you have done, that you have come back in better health. You will have heard that my dear sister has gone from me; and for her I can be very happy, but I do miss her exceedingly.

But I am now writing to you about a little bit of business. When her failing health allowed, her great pleasure after you saw her was to execute some more diagrams, beautifully done, and I am sure there is no situation where she would have been more gratified for them to be placed than in Edinburgh University—and yesterday evening I had a truly kind letter from Sir Wm. Muir, telling me of the acceptance of my offer of them by the Senatus and University Court. But at present I am not able to lay my hand on her list of what was formerly sent. Would you mind the trouble of letting me have just the shortest possible notes of the subjects—a couple of words to each as Hessian fly, Wireworm, &c., would be quite enough—and then without fear of repetition I can present all the others to the University (excepting two or three which I should like to keep for her dear sake); and will you kindly further help me by letting me know at your convenience to whom I should address the package.

But though my dear sister did not work technically on my reports any more than I did on her beautiful drawings, I greatly miss her sympathy and colleagueship.

_November 24, 1897._

I cannot say that I am well. The worry and hard extra work and my bad fall on the stone steps were not good for me, and I am painfully lame, and have got the gout, my doctor said a day or two ago, everywhere.

However, I am getting better, and hope to be much as usual soon. To-day I am looking up “Pine beetle.” I think a trustworthy record of a thousand acres of Pine without (so far as seen) a tree not infested is a grand observation. This is a consequence of the 1893 and 1894 gales.

_January 30, 1899._

I take it very kind indeed of you to write to tell me of the University arrangements about the Examinership.[99] I consider it a great honour to have held the office, and it has been a most thorough pleasure also thus to be associated in work with such a kind friend as yourself, as well as with Dr. Fream. But still, though not now one of the staff, I can work in colleagueship, and I have never forgotten the important help that you gave me some years ago. I shall look forward very much to a visit from you presently; besides the pleasure, it would help me, to have a good talk.

I am intending to make an alteration about my yearly reports. It seems to me that it would be the best course to bring the present series to a close with this number, giving with it a collective index of the whole series up to date. I should like the twenty-two years’ work to stand complete, and not be liable to detraction, gradually, as to regret about Miss Ormerod not being this, that, and the other, which with advancing years is likely. I think, too, that I need a little consultation as to some slight alteration of plan. I do not like so much repetition as I see elsewhere. I have difficulty in avoiding it, and I am trying that my present Twenty-second Annual Report should be as fresh as I can make it.

Kind regards from, yours sincerely, ELEANOR A. ORMEROD.