t68 Notes and Gleanings. 



thinly. The sun is what you need to mulch against in winter ; and in summer 

 it is about the same thing. The deeper you stir the soil, the better. In con- 

 sidering varieties, the soil should also be taken into account, as some varieties 

 are better adapted to certain soils than others. 



Mr. Budd of Iowa spoke highly of Green Prolific for productiveness and as 

 a market-berry. 



Mr. Beebe of Iowa spoke of a new Iowa seedling, called the Kramer, which 

 is regarded highly. 



The Committee on Strawberries reported the following list for culture : — 



For Distant Market. — Wilson's Albany. 



For Near Market. — Green Prolific and Russell's Prolific, alternates ; Down- 

 er's Prolific, with Wilson's Albany or some other staminate sort. 



For Amateur Culture. — French Seedling, McAvoy's Superior. 



For Further Trial. — Lennig's White. 



The list was adopted. 



The Raspberry. — Mr. J. W. Cochrane of Cook County read a highly-inter- 

 tsting and ably-written essay on the raspberry. 



During the evening session of the first day, Dr. Henry Shimer of Carroll 

 County gave a highly instructive lecture on " Insect Life." He said, — 



" We are living in a beautiful world, and in a beautiful portion of the world. 

 Insect life had its origin before the creation of man. Remains of insect life 

 have been discovered in the Devonian rocks of New Brunswick. Wl7y were 

 insects formed ? i. That they might enjoy life of tliemselves. 2. To produce 

 variety and beauty in the world. 3. Because they are useful. They have their 

 utilizing mission to fulfil. The fertilization of plants by their agency is one 

 object of their creation. They are the marriage-priests of plants. They thus 

 prevent deterioration of breeding in plants, which is as objectionable as in 

 cattle. 



"Insect anatomy is not so mean a thing as we might suppose. Insects are 

 one of the great types of animal life. In insect architecture, we find much that 

 is instructive. 



" The beauties of the insects were dwelt upon. We look upon the wrong 

 side of things when we despise the insects. We need to study them. 



" How shall we subdue noxious insects ? There are two methods provided : 

 one is natural, and the other artificial means. Nature has provided five princi- 

 pal ways for subduing noxious insects. I give them in the order of their im- 

 portance : I. Epidemic diseases. 2. Insect enemies. 3. Birds. 4. Insectiv- 

 orous animals. 5. Inclement seasons. 



I. Epidemic Diseases. — He read here a paper on this subject, recently pre- 

 pared by himself for the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia. The title of 

 this paper is, " Notes on Micropus (lygaeus) leucopterus (the Cli inch-Bug), with 

 an Account of the Great Epidemic- Disease of 1S65 among Insects." Tliis inter- 

 esting paper deserves space because of the general interest the farmers of the 

 State have in the facts it contains, were not our columns so crowded. 



Dr. Shimer does not believe the doctrine, that a dry spring will develop this 

 insect. The seed of them was carried from our country by the epidemic ; and 



