INDIANA HOKTIClTLTtJilAL SOCIETY. 223 



What, then, is the main hindrance to our growing fruit successfully? 

 My answer is. Injurious insects and fungous diseases. We have insects 

 that prey upon us on every hand; they eat our clothing, our furniture, and 

 prey on our domestic animals, but it is to the farmer and fruit grower 

 that they are of especial interest. It is a continual warfare to keep 

 the injurious insects from destroying our entire crop. Our entomologists 

 are giving a great deal of time and thought to these pests and are finding 

 weapons by which we may in some degree defend ourselves against their 

 depredations. We, as farmers and horticulturists, are not showing our 

 appreciation of their efforts to help us; they are human and .often make 

 mistakes, but we should encourage them to go ahead for the successes 

 they have made. Practical entomology should be taught in our common 

 schools; there are but few children but would take an interest in it if 

 properly presented. Some of our legislators and cranks seem to think 

 that we must now have Latin, French and Greek taught in our common 

 schools. These dead languages may be all right for ministers and pro- 

 fessors in our colleges, but of what practical benefit is it to the farmer's 

 son and daughter? Give us entomology and botany in the common schools 

 and the boys and girls will be more interested in agricultural and horti- 

 cultural pursuits and will better know how to defend themselves against 

 all insect intruders. 



We have already found that judicious spraying with a solution of 

 parls green or other arsenites is very beneficial for the destruction of in- 

 sects that devour our fruit and foliage; also, that there are other remedies 

 for the destruction of fungous diseases, but it has not been an entire suc- 

 cess. The sooner the young people are taught these branches in the 

 common schools the sooner we will be able to overcome these obstacles. 



The State Horticultural Society has recognized the fact that we in 

 southern Indiana are better located as regards soil and climate than any 

 other part of the State by locating the experimental orchard in our midst. 

 This orchard, if managed properly, will be the means of advancing the 

 fruit interest in this part of southern Indiana and the entire State. 



Looking back a few years, and thinking of what great things have 

 been accomplished in the way of mechanical devices for the benefit of the 

 farmer and fruit grower, it is but natural for us to look forward and try 

 and imagine what will be done in the near future. 



This is an age of invention and electricity, and I think it possible to 

 invent an electrical machine that will do away with paris gi'een and 

 Bordeaux mixture. All that we need do will be to point the instrument at 

 the tree or plant, press a button, and all insect life will be no more. 



The hills of these southern counties now grown up with jack oak and 

 sassafras will in a few years be covered with luxuriant vineyards and 

 apple and pear orchards. There will be a horticultural society in every 

 school district which will be subordinate to the Southern Indiana Horti- 

 cultural Society, which will hold quarterly meetings at the experimental 



