288 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



bird, and the common house-wren, we put up discarded fruit cans and 

 oyster cans, in which to rear their young, in trees around my house and 

 throughout my orchard. The cans may be fastened in the branches of 

 the trees by the use of a six-penny nail, driven through the corner of the 

 can and into a branch of the tree ; or they may be tied on with a string 

 that w^ill not soon rot and break. These cans may also be fastened to the 

 shady side of some out-building, by placing the end of the can against 

 the building and driving through the corners thereof two or three nails. 

 Gourds may be tied in trees for the use of these birds. Make a small 

 hole in the gourd, just large enough for the birds to enter. These birds 

 are insect-eating birds, and do not eat fruit. They may be enticed around 

 us by simply utilizing the old fruit and oyster cans in the way described. 

 P.ut them up now, soon, for the bluebird. The wren will come later 

 in the season. May every horticulturist feel the importance of an extended 

 study of the subjects of ornithology and entomology, and may our 

 acquaintance with the sweet songsters of the wood, orchard and field, 

 and with the insect world, be a means of turning our hearts to praise the 

 great Creator of every living thing. 



Dr. Hull — Do the birds really do us any good ? I mean such as do 

 us no harm by depredating on fruit. Do they not destroy more of our 

 insect friends than enemies, and thus do us more damage than good ? 

 This much I do know : Hens do us no good ; they will be very busy 

 scratching and eating worms and insects, but our real enemies in the 

 garden, the striped-bug and the squash-bug, they will not touch. That 

 fowls can be taught to destroy the Colorado potato-beetle I do not believe. 

 I once shut up some turkeys for a time, and when let out there was a 

 potato patch near which gave a meal of the larvae, but it swelled up their 

 crops and made them so sick they could never after be induced to touch 

 another Colorado. 



Mr. Huggins — I am pretty certain that the bluebird catches the 

 codling-moth, and the woodpecker eats the larvae. 



Mr. Hollister — I think some birds live mainly on weed-seeds, and 

 hence are beneficial. 



APRIL MEE TING. 



The April meeting of the Society was held in Alton, at the office of 

 Capt. E. Hollister. 



The President, Capt. Hollister, called the Society to order at 

 eleven o'clock. 



Dr. E. S. Hull, who is chairman of the Orchard Committee, said 

 that he had written out a report some days ago. but when, this morning. 



