GENERAL HISTORY. 133 



■26 h, 1883, and Mayor Webber appropriately welcomed the society to the 

 oity, which was responded to by the president. 



Keports as to the present prospects of fruit were received from various 

 localities, giving indications of a diminished yield, the result of injury last 

 winter. 



John Stirling, Secretary of the Belle Isle Park Commission, of Detroit, 

 gave a brief description of the plans fo'r the development of the park, which 

 includes the entire island, lying in Detroit river, just above the city, with 

 ■which it is to be connected by a bridge across the American channel. The 

 planting is to be done under the direction of Professor W. W. Tracy. 



Mr. D. H. English read a short paper respecting ''Difficulties in the Way 

 of Koadside Planting." Among these were mentioned the slower drying of 

 heavy soils, that trees are in the way of travel, that this is not the purpose 

 for which the lauds were taken, stock running at large, it is time and money 

 foolishly spent; but the most serious difficulty is a lack of interest or enter- 

 prise in this direction. 



The evening session opened with an address by Eev. Charles Fluhrer, of 

 Grand Rapids, entitled, "Glimpses of Gardens in Foreign Lands." These 

 were mainly references to gardens about the two metropolitan cities of Lon- 

 don and Paris. The descriptions given are highly interesting and instructive. 



Next came a paper by Mrs. Chas. W. Garfield which, in her absence, was 

 read by her husband, entitled, ''Lights and Shadows in my Flower Garden," 

 consisting of what things to do in the flower garden and when and how to do 

 them. In the essay and subsequent discussion the beneficial effect of trans- 

 planting and of removing spent blossoms were also considered. 



The session of Wednesday morning commenced with the introduction of a 

 well preserved barrel of apples by H. C. Cain, of Cleveland, Ohio, and a 

 description of the building and the process by which thny had been preserved. 

 Numerous questions were asked and answered and the matter underwent a 

 short discussion, afcor which a paper was read by A. D. Healy, of South 

 Haven, entitled, " Observation the Key to Horticultural Success," in which, 

 while maintaining the value and importance of the habit of close observations, 

 ■close hits were made at some of the fashionable follies of the day. 



Professor James Satterlee, of Lansing, addressed the audience on the subject 

 of "Protecting Innocent Purchasers of Plants and Trees." The first protec- 

 tion proposed was to educate the buyer to know what is best, and, second, by 

 showing where his need can be supplied, by inducing him to avoid irrespon- 

 sible "agents," and to deal directly with the nurseryman, and last, though 

 not least, by joining a horticultural society. 



The next topic was " Battles with the Bugs." 



C. M. Weed, of Lansing, opened the subject with a paper upon " Insects 

 Injurious to the Strawberry," in which were given the description and natu- 

 ral history of ths May beetle, the Goldsmith beetle, the strawberry root 

 worm, the strawberry crown borer and the strawberry leaf roller, together 

 with the most approved remedies for each. 



Mr. Badcock, of the Agricultural College, followed in continuation of the 

 general subject with an essay on "Pyrethrum," giving some account of the 

 plant, the manufacture of the powder, and the places where it may be ob- 

 tained. 



Kerosene emulsion was also commended as an insecticide by Professor A. 

 J. Cook. 



