Secretary's Budget. 357 



Where a branch can be stayed apart from others into an open space 

 it is a clonble economy to do that rather than to cut it off," because 

 there is the saving of its fruit yield, and the saving to the tree of a 

 wound. Every wound is injurious that remains open to the air 

 through a second season. All wholesale pruning of whole branches, 

 twigs and all, for the sake of speed does more harm than good. So 

 another general rule is to remove only the weak, unripe young 

 wood, or decayed old wood. 



In pear trees, where liable to blight, all unripened sprouts 

 should be cut out early, before the sap begins to circulate, or the 

 tree will be injured by the infusion of poisonous sap from the 

 winter-killed, blackened wood of these sprouts, just as we are en- 

 dangered by pyemia from decaying parts remaining attache'd to the 

 circulation in our bodies. Some trees are very impatient of the 

 knife or saw, of whicli the cherry is one. The peach on the con- 

 trar}^ — a more tender tree as to effects of low temperature — endures 

 cutting remarkably well, and so does the grape vine, but our native 

 sorts less than the vines of Europe, — W. G. W. 



INSECTS. 



XOTES ON INSECTICIDES. 



At the recent meeting of the Michigan Horticultural Society, 

 the following notes on insects and insecticides were gleaned for the 

 readers of the Prairie Farmer. 



CURRANT WORMS. 



Several members stated that they had subdued this insect by 

 sprinkling hellebore in the lower part of the bush in May, soon 

 after the eggs are laid. The operation is repeated a few weeks 

 later for the second brood. This kills them before they do any 

 appreciable damage. Pyrethrum will also kill, but it must be 

 applied immediately on the worms. Picking the lower leaves 

 which have the young Avorms on them, was also recommended. 



STRIPED BEETLES. 



Prof. W. W. Tracy said that he had kept these pests at bay by 

 dusting ground tobacco stems over and around the young plants ; 

 although the beetles were not wholly driven off, there were not 



