ANNUAL MEETING. 185 



assist back as far as the volume of 1870. It seems to me our aim should be 

 to do all the good we can with our reports, but avoid as far as possible any 

 abuse of them. Only a few years ago a box of one of our earlier volumes was 

 sold for waste paper in Benton Uarbor. To-day tliere are fruit-growers who 

 would gladly give two or three dollars per volume for every one of them. I 

 think we are gaining ui)on this matter. We are glad to have as good a fruit 

 grower as Mr. Baldwin, — one we know will be discreet, — send our volumes 

 away to men he knows will be benefited, and who are not as yet in circumstances 

 to pay the annual fee. But if I should advertise to do this by every one who 

 might apply, I will venture an estimate that not twenty-five per cent would go 

 into worthy hands, and we should be left without a copy in our possession. 



Mr. LeValley : I heartily concur with the Secretary in his opinion. Our 

 work should be supported by the men who are most benefited, and any fruit 

 grower who can not, or will not, pay a dollar a year at least, under the present 

 arrangement with local societies, by which one-half the dollar is retained by 

 the local branch, ought not to have a volume. The man who demands a vol- 

 ume because the State prints it, and is unwilling to do his part toward the 

 expense of building up tlie volume, is, to say the least, swinish in his nature. 

 The State of Michigan has reaped its reward thousands of times over for the 

 amount it has put into the mere printing and binding of the reports, and still 

 some man who has possibly in the aggregate since 1870 paid ten cents in taxes 

 toward the State expense connected with this work, claims a copy each year 

 worth two dollars, and is unwilling to contribute a cent toward the making of 

 the volumes. All I can say is, I believe the State society is doing a noble and 

 satisfactory work in organizing branch societies and placing the distribution 

 of the annual volumes in their hands very largely. 



A number of others spoke in the same vein as Mr. LeValley. 



The next topic upon the programme was discussed by Mr. Clarence M. 

 AVeed, a Senior at the State Agricultural College, in the following admirable 

 essay: 



INJURIOUS INSECTS NEW IN MICHIGAN. 



The past year has been rather a peculiar one in regard to the abundance of 

 injurious insects. That worst pest of the orchard, the codling moth, has been 

 very destructive, so much so that the fruit of many orchards has amounted to 

 nothing. The leaf-rollers have also done very much damage, while the tent- 

 catei'pillar has not been at all prevalent. The reason that this last named 

 insect did so little harm was on account of the weather. During the latter 

 part of last spring there were some warm, pleasant days, followed by some 

 very cold ones. During the warm weather the buds burst, the leaves began to 

 unfold, and the eggs of the tent-caterpillar hatched. In the subsequent cold 

 the leaves were checked and many of the young caterpillars perished from the 

 combined effects of cold and starvation. The plum curculio is another insect 

 that has been less destructive than usual during the past year. I know of no 

 reason for this scarcity, unless it be due to the abundance of parasites. 



Duriiig the past season three little beetles have thrust themselves before the 

 public in such a warning manner that it behooves us to be on our guard against 

 a general invasion. In Detroit one of these species was introduced into a gen- 

 tleman's residence, thrusting itself in swarms into all the rooms. As usual, 

 application was made for relief supplies, to the genial commander of the forces 

 against our insect enemies. Prof. Cook. With his usual alacrity he was soon 



