144 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



black body, the top of the thorax pale yellow. When placed in an 

 upright position it looks like a sister of charity in miniature. About the 

 first of July they commence laying their eggs. Their curious manner 

 of proceeding furnishes an easy clue to their detection and destruction. 

 A few inches from the tip of the young cane two rings are girdled about 

 an inch apart. Midway between these two rings the cane is pierced and 

 an egg deposited. The egg hatches in a short time and the larva begins 

 working down, consuming the pith, until it is full grown, when it may be 

 found about half way down the cane, where it remains during the win- 

 ter, undergoing its transformations and gnawing its way out of the cane 

 the next summer. 



To destroy this pest the plantation must be carefully examined several 

 times during July, and all the canes with withered tips cut off below the 

 lower ring. 



For some of my descriptions I am indebted to Mr. Saunders in his 

 "Insects Injurious to Fruits." 



Next to the insects, if not worse in some localities, are the diseases, 

 of which we have two in our section — anthracnose, the same as you have 

 perhaps all seen in the grape, and the second we call the curl-leaf. 



Anthracnose attacks the growing canes, causing blotches somewhat 

 resembling the effects of small-pox in the human family, and it is perhaps 

 nearly as contagious. It seems to operate worse on the black raspberry, 

 but it is not at all confined to it. Two remedies have been prescribed 

 for the disease, neither of which is very satisfactory. Spraying has been 

 practiced, with only partial success. The other remedy, which has only 

 been used in the case of the blackcaps, is to force the young plantation 

 to do its best the first and second year, then dig up and plant a new one. 



In the case of curl-leaf, no remedy has been applied, so far as I know, 

 except to dig up and burn the infected plants. It is to be hoped there 

 are some here who are better acquainted with this disease and its cause 

 as well as a remedy. 



There are two things in this connection that may be worthy of notice. 

 Every observing fruitgrower has noticed that the raspberry is a gross 

 feeder, consuming more nutrition than does other fruit. Chemical 

 analysis proves this, and shows that it requires three times the amount 

 of plant food that many other varieties do. Hence it would seem that 

 a more liberal use of fertilizers would produce a more healthy and vigor- 

 ous growth. 



Then matter of "blood." I fancy I hear our Ionia friend whispering, 

 "pedigree, pedigree." And pedigree is all right, a valuable thing to 

 have; but when the old horse is wind-broken, wind-galled, diseased, and 

 broken down generally, his pedigree will hardly save him. This it seems 

 to me is the condition of some of our raspberries. 



We need some new varieties, and then to see that they are not allowed 

 to degenerate. We have varieties enough, but of all the scores that are 

 named there are only two of the reds that I would care to plant exten- 

 sively. These are Cutlibert and Marlboro. 



The blacks of merit, so far as I know, are also quite limited. The 

 Gregg seems to hold its own very well, and with Palmer, Conrath, 

 and Eureka, I think we have about the best. 



If the present slothful methods of cultivation continue, we may expect 

 to see prices advance; but if not, those who give care and cultivation to 



