70 STATE IIOKTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



summer. For two j-ears I tusseled with the black sliij? in my fjarden without avail. 

 The first year they appeared in small numbers and killed only one or two small 

 cherrj' trees, but the next j'ear thej' came e/i masse^ and not only killed five large 

 choice poar trees, bnt attacked the fruit so that pears three inches loii<^ lost all 

 vitalitj' and became iuisky and dry, like a hornet's nest. I tried ashes, sulphur, lime, 

 tobacco jiuce, and everythins; I could tliink or hear of, to no purpose, until in very 

 desperation, when they made their appearance the third j^ear, evidently intent on 

 completing their work of destruction, I put one-quarter pound of Paris green in 

 four gallons of water, took an ordinary brass force i)ump, such as is usually used for 

 cleaning store windows, and witli a fine nozzle 1 threw the poisoned waters in the 

 form of spraj', far above and over the trees, so that every leaf was touched. Tlie 

 nest morning, on examination, 1 found every slug was dead. Eureka. I had con- 

 quered. My orchard, worth more to me Ihan money, was saved. They could not eat 

 the leaves, or suck the sap without partaking of the fatal dose, and if this little 

 article will lead to the saving of other trees or orchards I shall be more than repaid 

 for the trouble of writing. 



The first paper of the evening was given by Mr. llartwicke, of the Pent- 

 water News, upon the topic 



OCEANA COUNTY FOR FRUIT. 



The man wlio en,£^ages in the business of fruit-raising usually becomes so 

 much in love with tlie occupation that he makes the location which he selects 

 for his orchard his home, and in looking over the advantages of our county for 

 fruit we find that aside from adaptability of climate and soil, it has one advan- 

 tage which has not been referred to in tliis meeting, but which nevertheless 

 will commend itself to the horticulturist as an important one. I refer to the 

 general health of the county, to illustrate which I will give a few statistics 

 taken from our supervisor's report, which were gathered by him with great 

 care, and which )nay be taken as a fair indication of other towns. The popu- 

 lation of Pentwater, A\m\ 1, ISS'-i, was about 1,400. The number of deaths 

 occurring in the township during the year ending March 31, 1882, was 20, of 

 whom 11 were children under the age of two years, some dying at birth and 

 the others of diseases incident to children of that age. Of the nine remaining 

 over two years of age, five were taken sick while in Manistee, Ludington, and 

 other places and brought to Pentwater to die of disease contracted elsewhere, 

 leaving only four over two years of age who died of diseases contracted in 

 Pentwater. 



In 1838 one John T. Blois publisiied a Gazetteer of Michigan in whicli the 

 history and characteristics of Oceana county were described and set forth in 

 space occupying eight full lines. From this work we gather the information 

 that "Vegetables, vines and grains grow in this county in great luxuriance, 

 and good crops are frequently produced upon pine lands," but not one word 

 indicating its adaptibility to fruit-raising. 



Years after, when we hear of Michigan fruit attracting attention in Chicago 

 and Milwaukee on account of its superior quality, form, and size, and the 

 regularity with which it made its appearance in those markets, notwithstand- 

 ing the cold waves, followed by blasting frosts which frequently swept over 

 the country, totally annihilating the crops of our Buckeye and Hoosier neigh- 

 bors, we are put upon our inquiry and find tliat a certain locality bordering 

 upon tiie great lake, of whicii !St. Joseph seemed to be the centre, was pro- 

 ducing this marvelous fruit, and the section had actjuired the reputation of 

 being the ]\Iichigan fruit district, some locating the northern boundaries of 

 this district in Allegan and others in Ottawa, but none were so reckless as to 

 hazard an opinion that fruit could be grown with any degree of success north 

 of Muskegon. 



