30 YALE AGRICULTURAL LECTURES. 



destroy the larvae, the European practice of paring and burn 

 ing the surface might be resorted to, in the stubble of wheat 

 fields. Dr. Fitch presumed this would be effectual, as the 

 little rascals probably can't stand fire as they do water. 



If New York loses fifteen millions of dollars a year from the 

 wheat midge, why wouldn't it be a good plan to send Dr. 

 Fitch to Europe to procure the great foe of the midge, the 

 ichneumon fly ? This latter insect sweeps the other from the 

 very face of the earth ; and a half-bushel of its eggs hatched 

 on Dr. Fitch's place would be worth its weight in diamonds 

 " of purest ray serene." 



THIRD DAY. FEB. 3, 1860. 



Mr. EATON'S lecture on vegetable physiology last evening 

 comprised full descriptions of the seed, root, and stem of plants; 

 the nature and growth of seeds ; structure of roots ; and the gen 

 eral structure and minute anatomy of stems. He showed, 

 among other things, how the shape of trees is controlled. 

 When the bud at the end of the stem is strongest, the shape of 

 the tree is a pyramid, as in the case of the spruce and fir. 

 Where there is no one strongest terminal bud, there is no prin 

 cipal trunk in the upper part of the tree, so that the tree is 

 rounded at the top, as the elm. 



The morning lecture to-day was by Dr. FITCH, and was 

 highly interesting. And here let me state, that, in my opinion, 

 the entomological lectures of Dr. Fitch are the most impor 

 tant of this course, for he shows the habits of, and suggests 

 remedies against, the insects which cause losses to our farmers 

 to a fabulous amount annually ; and he stands almost alone in his 

 specialty. The Doctor's lecture to-day was on the insects in 

 jurious to fruit-trees. There are at present known to us, in the 

 United States, 60 different insects which prey upon the apple, 



