32 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



exposed to circulating air as it evaporates their moisture, wrinkles 

 the skin and makes them leathery. If this is true of the firm fleshed 

 apples of that section, it should be doubly true as applied to our 

 tender varieties, like the Wealthy. 



A leading spirit at all the meetings was Dr. T. J. Burrill, the 

 venerable professor of natural history in the University of Illinois. 

 Dr. Burrill is a pioneer member of the Horticultural Society and 

 well acquainted with the history of its development. Dr. Forbes' re- 

 port on nursery inspection showed 311 nurseries in the state and 

 seventy small fruit growers who also propagate some small plants 

 for market. The San Jose scale is now a widespread and persistent 

 proposition in Illinois, and scientific and successful means are be- 

 ing taken to keep it in check. The lime and sulphur spray has been 

 used with the best results, and kerosene emulsion seems also to 

 have been used successfully. However, the bitter rot and scab are 

 claiming most attention from the Illinois orchardists, and they are 

 minimizing the expense of preventing these evils by taking up the 

 work in the latest and most methodical manner. 



The paper by Dr. A. S. Forbes, state entomologist;, brought out 

 several interesting facts regarding the use of various spraying for- 

 mulas. Paris green was first used in i860 to fight the potato beetle. 

 London purple was introduced in 1872, and Prof. Budd was instru- 

 mental in bringing it to the front. Not until 1878 were the 

 arsenites used to combat the codling moth and canker worm. About 

 a year later pyrethrum was introduced. Kerosene was first used in 

 1869, and whale oil soap added about five years later. Milk and 

 kerosene was first used in 1880. Crude petroleum was tried in 1890. 

 The lime and sulphur solution, that is now being so much used, was 

 originally employed as a sheep dip in California. Later the sheep 

 growers tried the same formula on their fruit trees and found it 

 successful. Up to 1855 sulphur was the only fungicide used. Most 

 of the fungicides have been of American origin, while the insecticides 

 like Paris green and London purple, etc., have come from Europe. 

 The famous Bordeaux mixture originated in France about 1882, 

 where it was used mainly to frighten away thieves from the vine- 

 yards. The dust spray, which is having so much attention up here 

 just now, has been discarded by the Illinois growers as being ab- 

 solutely worthless. I could not find one orchardist or nurseryman 

 who had anything good to say of it as a practical means of attacking 

 either insect or fungous diseases. 



It appears that tomato growing, both for canning and for the 

 city markets, is one of the chief horticultural industries of Illinois,. 



