STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 45 



Burrell, of the Illinois Industrial University, at Champaign, professor of 

 vegetable physiology, horticulture, and cryptogamist ; Prof. A. S. Forbes, 

 of the State Normal University at Normal, 111., professor of natural his- 

 tory and ornithology ; and also some of the prominent horticulturists of 

 the State. 



Prof. Thomas was called to the Q}i\2\x pro tern., and O. B. Galusha was 

 chosen secretary. 



It was resolved to limit the investigations and discussions, for the 

 present, to the nursery and orchard. (The reader will please bear in mind 

 that the rules laid down, or the recommendations, are such as will, in the 

 opinion of the commission, clear the ground, in a great measure, of inju- 

 rious insects, and the best known means of combating and destroying 

 them when injuring the trees.) 



I. — Nursery Operations. 



1 a. — Preparation of the Soil before Planting. 



Ground to be used for seeds, grafts or cuttings should be cleaned of 

 rubbish, and cultivated without a crop of any kind (fallow plowed), and 

 plowed late in the fall, at least one season before planting. This will, 

 in a great measure, free the soil from noxious insects, notably the white 

 grub, larvae of the May beetle {Phyllophaga fiisca), the wire worms, lar- 

 vae of the Elators, (these wire-worms would not be entirely destroyed, 

 but generally), all the noxious worms known as cut worms, particularly 

 those that are destructive early in the spring, the striped plant bug 

 ( Capsus olilinneatus or Phytocoris lineolaris) — though this being an insect 

 that flies strongly, the remedy would only be partial — nearly all the cat- 

 erpillars that pass the winter in the larvae or pupa state, and would also 

 be a great help in freeing the land from leaf-destroying insects of various 

 kinds. 



By clearing off rubbish is meant, the cleaning of the ground of all 

 such matter as cannot readily be plowed under and would not readily 

 decay, so as to make plant food ; and in localities where the disease 

 known as " rotten root " prevails, all decaying wood should be careluUy 

 removed. 



2 a. — Plant i fig Grafts, Seeds, Seedlings and Cuttings. 



All these should be carefully examined for the eggs of noxious 

 insects, such as bark-lice, leaf-lice, root-lice, etc. Apple seedlings should 

 be carefully examined, and if any indications of the woolly-root aphis or 

 woolly apple-root plant-lice are seen on them, the whole lot of seedlings 

 should be carefully washed in strong soap-suds, and packed away for a 

 few days in saw-dust before grafting them. Cions for grafting should not 

 be used if infested with eggs of leaf-lice, aphides (very small, shiny black 

 globules stuck on the surface), and bark-lice {coccidce) — small scale-like 

 things, the worst of which is shaped like the one-half of an oyster shell, 



