THE FEBRUARY MEETING. , ' 257 



in those days. There was uo trouble in ripening peaches and plums in Detroit, 

 hut the cold winters and the curculio have wrought great change in that regard. 

 Peach trees, he thought, grew stronger and were more healthy in a heavy, 

 strong soil like that of Detroit than in light soils. He never saw a case of the 

 "yellows" there. The lecturer closed his reference to the associations that 

 have had their day and retired from the field, witti the hope that this new 

 Pomological Society, strong, active, and energetic, may be well sustained and 

 be able to accomplish its work well. The paper was attentively listened to, 

 and at its close a hearty vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Holmes therefor. 



Prof. Cook, of the Agricultural College, then read a lecture of considerable 

 length on " Birds and Insects, and their Kelation to Fruit-growing," which was 

 illustrated by large charts. A vote of thanks was tendered the Professor. 



The professor devoted several pages of his paper to the defense of birds as 

 immeasurably the friends and benefactors of the farmer, and especially of the 

 orchardist. He referred more particularly to the much-abused robin, which 

 for the first three months of the season feeds almost entirely upon the grubs, 

 worms, moths, and caterpillars, a single bird often destroying hundreds of these 

 pests in a single day. True, the robin takes a few of our cherries and small 

 fruits, but it should be borne in mind that without the protection of these and 

 the other birds Ave should get none at all, since the insects would so multiply 

 as to overrun and devour everything. Instances were quoted, as of the Eng- 

 lish sparrows, where these feathered friends had entirely destroyed and banished 

 the pest of the hang-worm — the canker worm that had become unbearable 

 nuisances in certain named localities. The benefits of the birds to orchards 

 had been so marked and noted by some of our own fruit-raisers that they took 

 special care to protect them. Mr. Bidwell, of South Haven, proposes to intro- 

 duce the English sparrows into his orchard to assist the native birds in their 

 good work. The professor hoped gentlemen would investigate the facts indi- 

 cated for themselves, and learn to prize at its true value the service performed 

 by their feathered friends. 



The professor devoted some time to illustrations of the various forms in 

 which the insects noted, with others of their kind, are propagated, and by the 

 aid of charts prepared for the purpose, indicated the stages of their growth and. 

 the changes through which they pass. At the close of the paper some discus- 

 sion was had on the various methods of preventing and of destroying these 

 pests. The professor urged that with constant care the most of them could be 

 banished, and that Michigan could in a few years succeed in raising as good 

 and as great an abundance of plums as she did in years past. Adjourned to 

 Wednesday. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 



The Society came to order at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning, and in the 

 absence of the President, who had been called to Eaton Kapids to meet and 

 confer with the Executive Committee of the State Agricultural Society, Mr. J. 

 M. Gregory, of Van Buren county, was called to the chair. He remarked that 

 there was no special business set for this session, and suggested general discus- 

 sion on any subject of interest that might be broached by the gentlemen 

 present. 



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