09 



STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Chapman. — I am willing to add my testimony to that of the gentleman 

 who has jnst spoken. I know the mole will eat tulip and hyacinth bulbs from 

 my own observations. 



Mr. Satterlee. — It occurs to me that these gentlemen must refer to another 

 animal, a rodent, which I know as the short-tailed field mouse; this fellow will 

 live upon bulbs and roots. 



^[r. Adams. — I cannot speak for others, ])ut I feel qualified to identify a 

 mule or a meadow mouse, and I know that the true mole will cat corn after it 

 has been softened in the earth. They are omnivorous like the crow and raven. 

 These birds prefer carrion, but will eat corn. 



Mr. Glidden. — I can bear Mr. Adams out in the statement that the mole will 

 eat corn. I have known one to follow a row of sweet corn some distance and 

 take out every kernel. 



Mr. Engel. — 1 have had molcs'eat some distance in a row of peach pits or 

 chestnuts, takins: them clean. 



Mr. Fox. — I have known corn and chestnuts to be taken by moles to con- 

 siderable extent. 



Mr. Hurlbut. — Every farmer can vouch for the truth of Prof. Cook's state- 

 ment that the digestion of the mole is very rapid, and this is why I account for 

 his not finding any sign of vegetable matter in the mole's stomacli. I claim 

 that it is impossible for one to tell exactly what an animal will eat under neces- 

 sity by the appearance of the teeth. The raccoon and the opossum are carni- 

 vorous animals, but those who know them best have abundant reason to know 

 that both animals will subsist in a healthy condition upon a corn diet, and from 

 my own observation I am led to believe that the mole will subsist upon bulbs 

 and softened corn in times of necessity. 



Mr. Garfield. — This matter can be very easily settled by placing a mole in a 

 box of dirt with ])lenty of Inilbs and soft corn ; if he starves we would naturally 

 conclude that the little fellow would rather die than go outside of his normal 

 food. 



This discussion having occupied more than its allotted time, the society next 

 listened to a paper on 



THE BEST PEAES FOR WESTERN MICHIGAN. 



BY C. ENGLE, OF TAAV PAW. 



The six best pears for AVestern Michigan, whicii I shall name, take prece- 

 dence in the order in which they are named. I have depended wholly on my 

 own judgment, founded on my own experience after testing some fifty sorts, 

 which Downing rates from good to best. 



Freedom from blight has Ijecn the first consideration, or perhaps I should 

 say comparative freedom, and next quality and productiveness, neither would I 

 set a tree whose fruit was not good for both market and dessert. 



Naming, as I do, without regard to the opinion of others, it is hardly to be 

 expected that you will agree witii me in all, or ])erhaps a greater part; but it 

 will at least call out discussion. 



I shall name them in the following order: Beurred'Anjou, Bartlett, Blood- 

 good, Beurre Gris d'lliver, Lawrence and Duchess d'Angouleme. 



