SUMMER MEETING, 1882. 09 



and several members pushed forward the Jonatlian as the apple that will be 

 called for largely iti the markets twenty years hence. Mr. Tracy said that 

 fruit lists must be made from tlie experience of a neighborhood. A mati on 

 one side of the State could not dictate the best varieties for tlie other side, and 

 oftentimes we may find a variety doing very nicely as a young tree in a locality 

 that soon breaks down and becomes valueless when it ought to be at its period 

 of greatest profit. This is notably true of the Belmont in the Traverse region. 



Wednesday Evening Session. 



The question box occupied the attention of the meeting for a half hour. 



No. 8. Are any of the birds now protected from destruction by the laws of 

 Michigan injurious to tlie fruit-growing interest? 



Several replies were made in which the robin, cherry bird, and English 

 sparrow were abused roundly, for damage done the ripening fruit, while not 

 one was present to defend them on the score of assistance rendered by eating 

 up worms and noxious insects. Tiio English sparrow received the greatest 

 condemnation, one gentleman taking the ground that a life sentence in the 

 penitentiary was no more than an adequate penalty for introducing such a 

 terrible pest upon our shores. 



No. 9. Will some one give us northern people light upon the yellows? 



This question was quite fully answered, but no facts were brought out that 

 are not to be found in the volumes of our society. 



No. 10. What varieties of peaches are best to raise which are later than 

 the Early Crawford? 



Late Crawford, Hill's Chili, and Smock were named, but objection was 

 made to the second named variety, that it was so inferior in quality as to be 

 unworthy of planting ; another objected to Smock for northern Michigan 

 because it would not often ripen. 



No. 11. Will some one tell how best to fight the pear slug? 



The Secretary said upon this very subject he had a communication from 

 S. \V. Fowler, of Manistee, which would answer the question. It was read as 

 follows : 



Charles W. Garfield^ Esq., Secretary State Horticultural Society : 



Dear Sir : — Until yesterday I hoped to meet with you at Fentwater, but unforeseen 

 professional duties prevented. As I have not seen or heard of a perfect remedy 

 against the ravages of the black slug, I venture to send you the following: 



The slug, a genus of gasteropodan nioliusks of the division of Moncncia (hermaphro- 

 dite) is of the fauuly Belicidcc, which is closely allied to the snail family, but has no 

 external shell. They are from one-quarter to one-half ir.ch in length, and have an 

 oval or oblong body, and those more frequently found in Michigan are of a dark 

 brown or black color. Their eggs are of a jelly appearance and are generally found 

 in most places, and at the roots of grass in small clusters. 



The skin of the slug is not porous, like that of the fly and most insects, and cannot 

 therefore be destroyed by throwing poisonous or otiier powdered substance upon its 

 body. It is a dainty feeder and selects choice young cherry, or pear trees first for its 

 feeding ground if convenient, but they do not stop there; they will attack anj' tree, 

 old or young, and in many instances they have stripped and killed large and valuable 

 orchards. They are so small that they are seldom observed until the mischief is 

 done. They touch nothing but the leaves and fruit; these they speedil}' devour or 

 kill, and of course the trees being stripped of their leaves, die. The leaves are not 

 all eaten, but the sap is taken and small holes eaten through, so that they turn yel- 

 low, and have the appearance of having been scorched by fire. I have been thus 

 tediously particular in describing the slug and its operations because it is frequently 

 the most diftlcnlt and dangerous enemy the fruit-grower has to contend with. It 

 generally appears in June and frequently continues its devastations until late in the 



