THE ANNUAL MEETING. 133 



should receive a liberal dressing of manure. Salt or brine thrown upon the 

 surface in winter or spring, helps keep the weeds down, and is a good fertilizer 

 for the crop. No one need be without an asparagus bed that has a garden 

 spot, and certainly no farmer can afford to deprive his table of this excellent 

 garden vegetable. 



J. S. Woodward, Lockport, N. Y. — Celery is a healthy vegetable — standing 

 next to fruits in its value as a promoter of good health ; and as a part of a 

 good living it can not well be spared. Nervous people should never be without 

 it. I have found a very excellent plan of managing it. When a man raises but 

 little he generally has a great time hilling it up — trying to hold the stalks 

 together with one hand, while he hauls the earth around with the other. 

 It puts a man in a most uncomfortable position to say the least. My plan is 

 to place a little roll of tin (stiff pasteboard will do) about the plant when it is 

 small ; the earth can be drawn up then, with no danger of throwing it into 

 the heart of the plant. As it grows, the tin can be raised and more earth 

 drawn up. Sometimes celery tends to throw out a good many lateral sprouts. 

 These should be removed as it is banked up, thus throwing the growth int6 

 the main stalks. I always store my celery in winter in my cellar, placed 

 in ordinary shoe boxes, putting a little earth in the bottom which can be kept 

 moist. The depth of the box is about the height of the plants, and when 

 they are used the blanching is complete to the very tips. 



J. Lannin, South Haven. — Can celery be successfully grown upon sandy 

 soil? 



F. Waltz, of Detroit, gave his experience in raising celery for the Detroit 

 market. For the early sales he raised his plants in the hot-bed; but for the 

 main crop sowed the seed in the open border. He thought it very important 

 that the seed be pressed into the grouud ; this he accomplished by pressing 

 heavily upon a board laid over the seed. The first celery goes into market 

 early in July. For the late crop he used the ground planted to early cabbages, 

 the rows of which he places four and one-half feet apart. He considered the 

 celery grown upon heavy soil sweeter and of more delicious flavor than that 

 grown upon sandy soil. 



Dr. Lockwood, Ann Arbor. — Is not the dwarf variety considered of better 

 flavor than the stronger growing sorts? 



Mr. Waltz. — Yes, I consider the dwarf kinds best. 



J. N. Stearns. — In answer to Mr. Lannin's query, I will say that in my ob- 

 servation and experience celery grown upon sandy soil is better than that 

 grown upon a vegetable deposit. To to be sure, it costs more to raise it on the 

 dryer sandy soil, but when you get it the quality is superior; I grow Turner's 

 Incomparable. 



The last paper of the morning was given by Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Agri- 

 cultural College at Lansing, on the subject of 



NEW INSECT ENEMIES AND NEW METHODS OF INSECT WARFARE. 



By new insect enemies I do not refer to species newly evolved, for though 

 we believe that species have been and are being evolved, still the process is too 

 slow to readily admit of direct demonstration. Neither do I refer to newly 

 discovered insects, for all those of which I speak are long and well known to 

 entomologists. Nor yet do I refer to insects with newly evolved habits, so that 

 now for the first time they are known as noxious species, for all have previously 

 won a bad record, though two of the species are not generally known, nor have 



