DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS INSECTS. — ORCHIDS. 75 



the butterfly from them to itself. Mr. Lothrop did not agree with 

 this view, but thought it the duty of all to cut down the wild 

 cheny trees. The work is so hemmed in with difficulties that all 

 the legislatures and congresses in the country could not accomplish 

 it. If a law were enacted, such as is proposed, it would be difficult 

 to enforce it. The means of destroying the canker worm are 

 imperfect, and though agriculturists have long had a spite against 

 them their ravages continue. Mr. Lothrop inquired why cater- 

 pillars had been so much more numerous this year than usual, 

 and said there was probably some unknown law governing their 

 appearance and disappearance. His experience also had been that 

 though the nests might be destroyed at night they would be rebuilt 

 in the morning. Birds will not eat them, though heavy rains and 

 late frosts might have the effect to diminish their numbers. He 

 thought we should urge people to destro}^ caterpillars in their 

 trees — if we undertook to compel them, the result would be that 

 they would cut down their apple trees. 



Mr. Flint thought it had been demonstrated that the canker 

 worm can be destroyed. Caterpillars should be killed while young. 

 His observation was that they were found in their nests reg- 

 ularly three times a day, at morning, noon and night, and these 

 are the times to attack them. After they get so large as to travel 

 over the fences it is too late to destroy them. 



Mr. Rand said that, if no one had any further remarks to make 

 on the subject assigned for discussion, he would call attention to 

 six orchids on exhibition, all natives of the western hemisphere. 

 Four of these were from Messrs. Hovey & Co. ; two, IfaxiUaria 

 2ncf,a, which is easily grown in any greenhouse. Another was the 

 Cattleya Loddigesii, a beautiful species, also easily grown in the 

 greenhouse. The fourth, Ejndendrum cocJileatum, Mr. Rand 

 thought hardly worth growing. The other two were exhibited by 

 Mr. Rand, viz., Oncidium altissimum, remarkable for its abundant 

 floriferous properties, this plant having been exhibited in flower 

 at the Rose Show in June, since which time the flowers have died 

 away, and where each flower was in June, there is now a flowering 

 branch with numerous flowers. The stalk shot up to the height of 

 six feet, much branched and filled with bright yellow flowers ; a 

 rougji count gave six hundred and thirty-two. The other, Lcelia 

 Perrinii, is a ver}' beautiful species, with petals of a delicate rose 



