198 ANinJAL REPORT 



Mr. PefiPer. That is reasonable, and I concur in it. Now about 

 the potato blight. Prof, Budd says when it first appeared it was 

 just as bad on new ground as on that where potatoes had been 

 grown year after year. 



Mr. McHenry. I spent last winter in the South. People there 

 get seed from the North and plant in spring; crop matures early, 

 and then they plant again, raising a second crop of inferior pota- 

 toes. These they use for seed, and find them better than those 

 of first crop for that purpose. I always cut, but cut to the center. 

 I had no blight this year, while my neighbors, who planted whole 

 potatoes, had plenty of it. I cut to one or two eyes. 



PHILLIPS' TREE PROTECTOR. 



President Sias. Will Mr. Phillips explain again how he makes 

 his lath protection for fruit trees. 



Mr. Phillips explained that it was simply, when done, merely 

 eight lath set up around the tree, held together by a piece of bind- 

 ing-wire woven across each end of the laths, and when put round 

 the tree the sides joined by projecting pieces of the wire. The laths 

 are cut to suit the length of the stem of the tree. You never need 

 to move it till the tree is six or seven years old from the orchard 

 planting, and not then unless it fills up the circle inclosed by the 

 lath. It admits the air, but protects from sun. South side of tree 

 grows as healthy as the north side; it keeps out mice, rabbits, and 

 sap-suckers; and is, in fact, a "daisy." To construct it 

 take a piece of binding wire thirty-eight inches long and twist 

 the ends securely together, making a loop about eighteen inches 

 long, when straightened to its full length. Then fasten two of 

 these loops upon a work bench at the back side at points about 

 thirty inches apart, fastening the loops by the part where the wire 

 is joined and leaving the other ends free and projecting forward 

 toward the front side of the bench. A very convenient waj^ of 

 fastening the loops is to drive a couple of nails into the top of the 

 bench near the back side and then simply drop the loop over the 

 nails, so the nails will prevent the loops from moving forward. 



Now take a lath and slip through the loose end of both wire 

 loops and draw the lath forward until both loops are tight, then 

 lift both of the under wires of the loops and place another lath 

 through the loops back of the first lath so as to leave the wires 

 crossed between the lath after the manner of the warp in carpet 

 weaving. Continue this process until eight lath have been inserted 

 and the wires twisted tight up to the last lath and the web is com- 



