304 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



But here we have " the locust " again. Now, what do you mean by 

 "the locust?" For this insect appears only once in many years. It is 

 called the seventeen-year locust, commonly, but in reality is no locust at 

 all. Truly, it is the seventeen-year cicada. They appear chiefly where 

 there is or has been timber, and are usually very numerous in this lati- 

 tude once in, some say thirteen years, while others say seventeen years. 

 The facts are, we think, that they appear only once in seventeen years in 

 the northern portions of the United States, while in the more southern 

 portions they appear a few years sooner. These insects are sometimes 

 very injurious to the forest, to fruit trees, and especially nursery trees. 

 We may expect their return here, we think, in about seven years. These 

 true cicada are the only ones that are especially to be noted as common 

 periodically here, while there are other cicadas not common in this region. 

 Last spring, just the first moment the apple trees showed the opening leaf- 

 bud, the plant-lice were there in force to suck the juices of the tender 

 opening bud. But there are many kinds of plant lice, or Aphides. They 

 are found upon almost all parts of plants — the roots, stems, young shoots, 

 buds and leaves. Most are without wings, while there are winged plant- 

 lice and jumping plant-lice. They differ in form, color and clothing. 

 We have the apple-tree plant-louse, the cabbage-louse, the rose-louse. A 

 large species is found on the pig-nut hickory. A large species is also 

 found on the various kinds of willow. Some plant-lice live in the 

 ground, and derive their nourishment from the roots of plants. The 

 peach tree suffers from the attacks of plant-lice, causing the leaves, by 

 their punctures, to become thickened, to curl, or form hollows beneath, 

 and finally to perish and drop off prematurely. We have^he woolly 

 apple-tree louse, which is distinct from the early apple-tree louse of 

 spring. These are enveloped in a cotton-like substance, furnished by the 

 body of the insect. And there are still others. 



Truly, what do we mean when we speak of the "plant-louse ?" We 

 speak commonly of "the curculio." Observations and experience teach 

 us that there are many kinds of curculios. So, do we not see the 

 importance of a correct application of names, if the observations com- 

 municated are to be of service to the body of the people? 



J. HUGGINS, Chairman. 



Mr. Benson presented two insects resembling the peach-borer, which 

 were declared to be cannibal insects and beneficial, the larger of the two 

 distinguished by a broad }ellow band. 



The Committee on Wines made no report. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ORNITHOLOGY. 



We invite the lovers of birds and bird music to take a walk with us 

 into the fields and orchards, far from the noise of city life, and where we 

 shall see the birds in all their native beauty, not as we see the stuffed 

 mummies in our cabinets, but as free tenants of the air, enjoying all the 



