602 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



awards shall be for an extended variety of horticultural exhibits by amateur 

 growers rather than large displays by professional exhibitors; and that the 

 offerings be honorary rather than pecuniary in their character; and that the 

 Secretary be requested to immediately carefully canvass Detroit and such 

 other places as he may deem advisable to see what aid in the way of special 

 prizes or otherwise can be obtained from business men of such places. 



5. That we recommend that a committee consisting of the President, Sec- 

 retary and one other member be appointed to develop and recommend some 

 adequate system of collecting horticultural statistics. 



(i. We recommend in accordance with the suggestion of the President that 

 the constitution be so amended as to make membership continuous and that 

 no member shall be dropped without some formality. 



Eespectfully, 



Will W. Tracy, 

 James Satteklee, 

 R. D. Graham. 

 The report was accepted and adopted. 



The chair now announced that the time had arrived for the report of the 

 Entomologist, and Prof. Cook responded with the following paper: 



REPORT ON ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 

 BY PROFESSOR A. J. COOK, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



The past year, owing doubtless to the excessive and wide spread drought, 

 has been one of marked interest to the student of economic enromology. It 

 is a well recognized fact that drought is favorable to insect development, and 

 damp and wet inimical to the same. 



Fortunately Michigan is outside the area of chinch bug despoliation, and 

 Hessian fly ravages, of which Michigan has had a generous taste during the 

 past season, are not within the province of this association. Yet there are 

 still enough topics to occupy the time profitably. I shall call attention to 

 two questions. One, peculiarities of the season, and the other, new points 

 brought out during the year which are of direct and of important practical 

 interest to all horticulturists. 



Before the past year, I have not heard of the rose chaflfer as a serious 

 enemy in our State beyond the limits of the lake shore along our west border, 

 if I may except a limited area in the southeast part of the State. Yet I have 

 known well that these terrible destroyers existed in small numbers all over 

 the southern part of our State at least. Thus we have only to wait for a 

 favorable era for their development, when a formidable outbreak may occur 

 anywhere. The past season seemed this favorable time, for in several por- 

 tions of the State these insects came in armies and worked serious havoc. 

 While in the most places grapes suffered most, about Grand Rapids the 

 peach growers were much injured. While in Oakland the corn crop was 

 considerably damaged. It has long been known that while rosaceous plants 

 are generally prefe red by this voracious beetle, still corn and other })lants are 

 often subject to its rapacity. This beetle, while it has done much harm in 

 our State, has done far more along the Atlantic coast, especially in New Jer- 

 sey. As is the case with its near congener, the May beetle, it lives as a grub in 



