HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 161 



nesota in a condition in which life would be really enjoyable. 

 My first opportunity to do anything was really with this State 

 Horticultural Society. AVell now, we have worked along with this 

 society twenty-three years. We have educated a lot of men up, 

 men that were so bashful in their younger days that they couldn't 

 pop the question to their sweethearts, who are now the most elo- 

 quent speakers and the legislators that assemble over in St. Paul 

 are not to be compared with them. 



The field does not seem to be large enough. Now, can we adopt 

 the methods that are presented here tonight and carry on this 

 education over Minnesota; go right into the schools and homes 

 and get together a crowd of boys and illustrate this principle 

 of horticulture and of ornamenting homes and school houses, 

 and the methods of propagating seeds and plants? I never talked 

 to an audience that has done me so much good as this one has that 

 is gathered here tonight. 



EEPOKT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



By Prof. 0. W. Oest/und. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



My position to-night reminds me of the Bible story of the g ood 

 and the bad wine. You know it was the old custom to first serve 

 good wine, and then, when they were all pretty well served, to bring 

 forth that which was not so good. To-night, I am afraid it will be 

 reversed. I feel that my report is rather weak. Time and op- 

 portunities have not been such that I am able to serve what I would 

 like to. 



Some fifty species of insects are known to be injurious to the 

 poplar. Dr. Otto Lugger has given us an excellent account of a 

 few of the more destructive ones as found in Minnesota, in bulletin 

 No. 9 of the experiment station. 1 shall supplement these with 

 a few notes on one of the gall-raaking aphids, or plant-lice, as they 

 are more commonly called, found to disfigure young poplars to a 

 great extent in this part of the state. 



Pemphigus vagabundus (Walsh). — Constructs one of the largest 

 and most conspicuous gall of all the Aphididte known. It measures 

 some two or three inches in diameter when full grown, and persist- 

 ing through winter on the twigs becomes doubly conspicuous after 

 the leaves have been shed. This gall is started by a single aphis, 

 not larger than a pin's head when just hatched, almost too small to 

 be seen by the unaided eye. The life-history of this gall and its 

 inhabitants is briefly as follows: 



A great many insects pass through the winter in the egg, to 

 which the family of aphids make no exception. These winter eggs, 

 as they are often called, differ from those hatched the same season 



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