60 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Prof. Budd — Allow nie to refer to the subject of last evening, 

 entomology. Last winter our State Society offered a premium of $50 

 for the best and most practical essay on that subject. This premium 

 was awarded to Hon. J. N. Dixon, of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Mr. Dixon 

 is not an entomologist, but a plain, common-sense man. He has no 

 codling moths, canker worms, caterpillers, tortrix, or leaf skeleton- 

 izers in his orchard, and it is a large orchard, yielding eight thousand 

 bushels of apples this year, and this is emphatically the ''off year'' 

 for the apple crop in Iowa. Forty thousand bushels were taken 

 taken from it the year previous. There is no mystery about it. He 

 sprinkles his trees with arsenic water just after the blossoms open. 

 Barrels are filled with this solution, made by dissolving one pound 

 of arsenic in two hundred gallons of water, placed upon a wagon, 

 driven along the rows, and the solution thrown upon the trees with 

 a force pump. This effectually destroys the insects which enter 

 the apple by means of the blossom, and many others. The few that 

 escape the poison he tramps out by pasturing the orchard with sheep. 



Prof. Burrill — Mr. Whitney, of Franklin Grove, has used Lon- 

 don Piirple in much the same way, with good results. 



Prof. Budd — Mr. Woodworth, of New York, and Mr. Cook, of 

 Michigan, used Paris Green and London Purple, but found that both 

 of these substances clogged the sprinkler and caused the operator 

 much trouble. Arsenic is better and cheaper, and more easily dis- 

 solved. 



Parker Earle — Mr. Moody, of New York, follows very success- 

 fully the same plan of showering with arsenic water. 



Mr. Gibbs — Mr. Whitney says, pasturing with sheep is* the best 

 remedy for codling moth. They destroy many worms by picking up 

 the fallen fruity as well as by tramping around the trees. In one of 

 his orchards, divided by a hedge, one portion, pastured with sheep, 

 was almost free from moths, while the other, to which the sheep did 

 not have access, was badly infested. 



0. W. Barnard — Is there not danger of poisoning stock if allowed 

 in the orchard after using; the arsenic water? 



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Answer — Yes, by several voices. 



