300 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the school grounds had, in several instances, been tried by members, and 

 the pupils had come to consider them as a part of their property, to pro- 

 tect and care for. It was thought that beds of flowers, bulbs, etc. , could 

 be introduced into such grounds with a good effect ; for if the teacher 

 would inculcate the love of flowers, the children would soon learn to prize 

 the efforts taken in this direction for their enjoyment, and would take 

 delight in cultivating, for a few moments each day, during the season of 

 flowers, these beautiful adornments. 



Mr. Edwards said he had looked forward witli hope that our State 

 Industrial University would make horticulture a prominent branch of the 

 education of farmers' sons and daughters ; there had been a good begin- 

 ning there, yet he learned with regret that a retrograde movement had 

 begun there, which, if followed out, would soon bring this branch of edu- 

 cation into disrepute there. He said he referred to the dismissal from 

 service, by the Board of Trustees, of the orchardist and gardener, and the 

 effort or determination to put the horticultural department under the same 

 management as the stock farm. 



The Secretary then read a brief article from Dr. Shinier, of Mount 

 Carroll, as follows : 



The Colorado Potato Beetle has been more prevalent than usual, this 

 year, in Carroll county, which, with the dry weather, has made it necessar}" 

 for us to import potatoes from another State. 



The Codling Moth has been about as prevalent as usual. I have seen 

 very many Siberian crab apples affected by it this season. 



The Canker Worm is by far the worst insect we have in this count)'; 

 it is spreading from orchard to orchard, and doing much mischief. It is 

 remarkable that so many orchards are affected by an insect, the female of 

 which is supposed to be, in all cases, wingless. Several old orchards have 

 been entirely ruined by this pest. 



I advised, and recommended through our county papers, the use of 

 tin bandages, as described and recommended by our .State Entomologist, 

 Dr. Wm. LeBaron ; but just at that time a patent tree-medicine-man came 

 into town and succeeded in duping the people into a trial of his applica- 

 tions, which resulted in a failure. In my opinion the canker Avorm 

 demands the most serious attention of every apple tree grower in the 

 country. 



Grape Leaf Lice are not numerous, and do little harm. 



Apple Bark Lice are no longer a cause of great alarm. 



I was greatly annoyed, last summer, by a species of gray blister fly 

 on Honey Locust hedge plants, which kept the foliage off the plants in 

 the hedge row, preventing their growth, and killed the young plants in 

 nursery. They begin at some point and clean off the foliage from the 

 row as they go. Their yearly presence would make the growing of Honey 

 Locust as a hedge plant a failure. 



