STATK lIoKTin l/riRAF, SOPIKTY. 11 



" Insects. — The CanJi:er-~u>orm is at work in a few orchards, and will certainly 

 destroy them, if Paris-green is not used.* 



" Coiflini; Moth. — The few apples which matured in ihi^ county j;ave evidence that 

 it was propagating a full crop. 



•' Colorado Potato Beetles were ahout as plenty as for several years past, yet not so 

 numerous xs to require much extra labor to keep them under; one or two ap]>lications 

 of P.iris-green being sufficient. 



" Black A/<>iis. — Early in the season this insect appeareil on the cherry and plum 

 trees, destroying the new growth, but as soon as the heavy rains set in they disappeared, 

 liaving di)ne no injury but what was repaired by after growth." 



Mr. A. B. Austin, of Downer's Grove, Dti Page Co., writes: 



" In reply to your first question, I will say that we have cultivated two varieties of 

 ash — the white ash and green ash ; the former we have discarded as of too slow growth 

 for profit in nursery, and not satisfactory to those who want trees for street planting. 

 The green ash grows in nur.~ery, with good care and in ordinary >ea>ons, (alter being 

 established) about three feet i)er year for two years; after that, much slower — many of 

 our larger trees nol making one foot of growth this year. The white ash grows not quite 

 half as fast as the green ash, which holds its leaves better, and they (the leaves) burn 

 much less during summer than these of the white ash. We find the ash a very easy 

 tree to transplant, growing in all localities, and free from borers; but it is liable to lose 

 all or part of its leaves every third year, from the ravages of a brown beetle (May or 

 June bug) during the latter part of May and in June. The beetle does no injury in the 

 nursery. In our street planting, in the fall of 1873 and spring of 1874, we lost of ash 

 about five per cent., while of soft maples about seventy-five per cent. 



" To second inquiry, we have not found the last few winters particularly injurious 

 to trees, except to those heeled-in and those transplanted in the fall. Lost nothing in 

 nursery, but lost heavily of fail transplanting, which was caused by the absence of moist- 

 ure in the earth, the trees dying from the top down toward the roots ; the roots gen- 

 erally were alive, but were not able to draw moisture from the dry earth to supply the 

 sap evaporated from the trunks and branches ; hence, the trees died from the extremi- 

 ties downwards. The great pest against which we have to contend is the borer. Every 

 other insect sinks into insigililicance in comparison, and unless a cheap and effectual 

 remedy can be found, the setting of trees on streets will be seriously retarded. The 

 ashes and poplars escape entirely, but the maples and elms are destroyed by thousands. 

 Those that have a few trees can preserve them by shading with boards, or winding the 

 trunks with some cheap material, until the tree is well established, but those that set 

 trees in large fpiantities need a cheap wash that will prove effectual ; our trees escaped 

 injury this year from the borer; we used kerosene, applied with a brush, on the south 

 and southwest side of the trees ; but one application was made about the middle of 

 June. I do nol want to be understood as recommending this as a good and safe remedy, 

 as we have used it but one year (this year), and it was a veiy unfavorable year for the 

 development of borers ; we shall continue tt) use it and note its effect. 



Hon. Elmer Baldwin, of Farm Ridge, LaSalle county, sends the 

 following : 



" I have time only to make a very brief reply to your request to furnish an item 

 for your report. 



" The peculiarities of our climate and soil will require the experience of several 

 generations to fully comprehend and to properly adapt a system of culture to their 

 requirements ; but each year or series of years will furnish items which, in the aggre- 

 gate, will, if preserved, make up the evidence necessary to approximate the desired 

 result. 



* See vol. 5, Reports of 111. State Horticultural Society, for full descriptions and 

 illustrations of this insect, with remedies and plans for its extermination. — EuiTUR. 



