STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 241 



ferent varieties of butterflies and moths, or those of the silkworm. So 

 intimate is this relation that whatever affects the former, either favor- 

 ably or unfavorably, will be followed by a corresponding effect on the 

 latter. Whenever we find a uniform and healthy condition and growth 

 of the former, we may look for a corresponding healthy and prosperous 

 condition of the latter, and so the contrary. 



With this view of the case, let us refer to the peculiarities of the early 

 part of the past spring and summer. While the rains of the past winter 

 were so distributed as to render that season an open and rather pleasant 

 one, the spring was late, cold and unfavorable to regulate growth. 

 Though we had more than our usual number of late spring showers, yet 

 they were nearly all accompanied with an unusual state of the electric 

 fluid in the atmosphere, as evidenced by the uncommon frequency and 

 severity of the thunder and lightning. These showers were also, until 

 late in June, almost uniformly followed by cold and disagreeable weather. 

 As a natural consequence, all the vegetation was backward and the 

 growth indifferent — the flowers secreting very little honey, and the 

 leaves filled with watery and insipid fluids. It was observed by our silk 

 culturists that the leaves of the mulberry were thinner than usual, con- 

 taining apparently less glutin and more acid than common. This obser- 

 vation was confirmed by the fact that when the leaves were picked and 

 cut for the young worms, they would very soon commence fermentation 

 and turn black, a condition positively destructive to the health and life 

 of the insect. Though the writer had been feeding worms for the past 

 three preceding seasons, he had never before noticed this tendency to 

 fermentation and treating of the mulberry leaves. It may not be im- 

 proper here to remark, by way of comparison, that the general absence 

 of this watery and acid condition of the mulberry leaves in California, 

 and the presence of those conditions in most other countries having a 

 more humid atmosphere, is one of the strong points in favor of our State 

 as a silk producing country. The peculiar weather of the past spring 

 had a deleterious effect upon other growing crops. It was noticed by 

 our hop growers that their hop fields presented an irregularity of growth 

 among the hills never before observed in this country; that while the 

 vines were at the tops of some of the poles, those of adjoining hills had 

 not made their appearance above the ground. This was the case in 

 fields on which for years before the hops had made a uniform growth 

 and produced heavy crops. The foliage of the peach tree is peculiarly 

 subject to atmospheric influences, and these influences have a very strik- 

 ing effect on the growth and flavor of this usually delicious fruit. 

 Accordingly, the leaves of the peach were unusually affected the past 

 spring with the curl, and the fruit made an indifferent and unusually 

 irregular growth, and generally lacked that high degree of flavor com- 

 mon to that variety of fruit in our State. These conditions are sure 

 indications of too much acidity in the secretions collected from the 

 atmosphere, and their uniform effect is to retard or prevent the maturing 

 or ripening process both in leaves and fruit. 



The peculiarity and exceptional character of the seasons is most 

 strikingly illustrated in the effect it has had upon the prosperity of the 

 honey bees throughout the State. Those who have been in the habit of 

 indulging in the luxury of a plentiful supply of good honey on their 

 tables can probably recognize this fact in their inability to enjoy that 

 luxury this season. I have the statement from J. S. Harbison, the 



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