India in 1887 as seen by Robert Wallace / [Robert Wallace].

  • Robert Wallace
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: India in 1887 as seen by Robert Wallace / [Robert Wallace]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    At Jethwarpur I saw what had once been a splendid avenue of large trees in the last stages of destruction by Dodder, Cuscuta. I also noticed considerable damage to trees at Poosa by the same parasite ; and on the Alla- habad Grass Farm it was sucking the life from the Babul hedges. In a restricted area I have no doubt but that to shower the affected plants with a solution of sulphate of iron would destroy it, as in the case of clover Dodder, C. trifolii, in Europe. There is, nevertheless, no remedy for keeping it in check like fire. If it once takes posses- sion of a forest tract nothing but fire will save the trees from total destruction. Ergot will enormously increase if old flowering stems of grasses are left to disappear by a process of natural decay. The point of greatest importance connected with the presence of ergot is, that not only are the pastures in the forests made unsuitable to all dasses of farm stock bearing young, owing to the almost certain consequence of abor- tion supervening'on the consumption by them of ergotized grass, but there is every probability of ergot spreading from the forest reserves to the cattle pasture outside, if the forest is made a stronghold from which it can be con- stantly recruited. It has been made apparent within recent years that the injuries resulting from animals living on ergotized pasture are not confined to those bearing young. Two years ago, Young of Brokley Park, Queen’s County, Ireland, traced a deadly paralytic affection among his ewes and lambs to the presence of ergot in their pasture. Though it may be necessary on a small scale, and for special purposes, to strictly protect certain forest areas, and reserve them exclusively for the growth of certain trees, yet, in considering the whole matter, by all means en- courage the growth of forest trees, but let it be in a place where their shade—one of their first functions, and for which animal life in a tropical climate has to be thank-
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