STATE HORTICtTLTUKAL SOCIETY. 21 7 



The Secretary. — I have known the White willow so terribly 

 infested with lice {aphides) late in the season as to nearly destroy the 

 trees ; the twigs and small branches being literally covered with them so 

 that in walking under the trees one was likely to have unwelcome com- 

 pany. Myriads of flying insects swarm among such trees to feed upon 

 the sweet fluid exuded by the aphides — filling the air with their humming 

 like that of swarms of honey-bees. 



Mr. Fell. — I have not seen trees so infested ; but there is a black 

 caterpillar that is occasionally found upon the trees. 



Mr. Wier. — The Yellow cottonwood is one of the most desirable 

 trees to plant upon the Western prairies. 



NEW FRUITS. 



Mr. Spalding. — I desire to say, Mr. President, that although I have 

 no paper prepared on "New Fruits," I have a great interest in new 

 fruits, trees, etc., but more especially in the apple. It has been said 

 here that we are obliged to buy our apples for Illinois from some other 

 State; now I think if we go about it 7-ight we will have no trouble 

 to eventually grow our own apples, and some for shipment. We have 

 varieties of new sorts here, which if one-half that has been said about 

 them is true will be immensely valuable. 



Very little in general has been done to produce new varieties, but 

 most we have are accidental seedlings. We must grow seedlings from 

 our best keepers, and from these we may expect to get good keeping 

 varieties ; it is not necessary that we should wait for a seedling tree to 

 come into bearing to know its value ; but we can put cions of promising 

 seedlings into the tops of our bearing trees and soon find out the kind 

 of fruit they will bear. 



A. H. Gaston. — I have planted seeds of Mr. Hatheway's Salome, 

 and some of the seedlings look like the parent tree. 



A PRESENTATION. 



President Burrill. — I hold in my hand a vessel looking like a 

 large shallow pan such as are used for baking pies sometimes ; and the 

 bottom is covered with a whitish, pasty, doughy-looking substance, which 

 looks as though it is good to eat ; but I don't think it is, and would advise 

 the Secretary not to use it for that purpose. It is a copying pad, and is a 

 present from Prof. Weber, of the Industrial University, who made it, to 

 our Secretary. Letters are written with aniline ink — a bottle of which 



