294 The Second Congress of Fruit Growers. 



half grown. Its work is done in the evening, commencing 

 about twilight and continuing until about midnight, when it 

 buries itself in the ground under the tree. It attacks first 

 the leaves and then the flowers and young fruit, and appears 

 to be much more numerous in some seasons than others. 

 In 1847 I lost four good-sized plum trees, of the Lombard 

 variety, from the continued attacks of this insect, devouring 

 the entire foliage. In 1848 and 1849 there were but few to 

 be seen. This year they are more numerous than I have 

 ever known them before. I have in my fruit yard some 

 fifty or sixty plum trees, of difl'erent varieties, from which I 

 gather from three to six quarts every warm evening. For 

 the young trees, the mode adopted is to pick them ofl" with 

 the hand and place them in a pail partly filled with water, to 

 be subsequently destroyed. For the larger trees, a couple of 

 sheets are sewed together about half way, and so adjusted 

 about the tree as to cover the ground, on which the bugs 

 are shaken, and placed in a pail of water as before. 



Now if you will go among your trees in the evening, I 

 doubt not you will find them covered with these bugs, prin- 

 cipally on the plum, but occasionally on the apple and pear. 

 The principal damage is done to the plum. 



I have read several articles from time to time in which I 

 have seen this bug mentioned as altogether harmless to veg- 

 etation, one of which is in the September number of the Al- 

 bany Cultivator for 1844 ; and I think it high time the error 

 was corrected, as it is now the most formidable enemy to the 

 plum to be found in this vicinity. 



Plattsbiirgh, June 3, 1850. 



Art III. The Second Sessioii of the Congress of Fruit 

 Growers at New York. By the Editor. 



The second meeting of the Congress of Fruit Growers 

 assembled at New York, in Castle Garden, under the aus- 

 pices of the American Institute, in October last, and the pro- 

 ceedings have just been published. 



