292 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



It is gtenerally believed that fruits are more wormy in rainy 

 years. Mr. Mathieu has shown that dry years, cold winters and 

 hot summers multiply insects greatly. Electricity plays a great 

 part among them — after greater than usual activity in thunder 

 storms, their bodies are often found in great numbers strewed over 

 the ground. 



Insects are of very high utility to horticulture, being the most 

 powerful agents in the fecundation of plants, especially those 

 whose sexes are separated in the different flowers. The best way 

 to prevent any hybridation by the insects is to cover the blossoms 

 with clear gauze. The wounds on fruit made by insects some- 

 times operate favorably by ripening them sooner than others. 



Indigenous plants, says Mons. Enrile Blanchard,are almost the 

 only sufferers from insects, and the plants of the same species 

 from abroad also suffer. On the contrary, other plants are hardly 

 touched by such insects. It would seem that insects are attached 

 to some peculiar food, and do not try others until in necessity. 



The Chairman called up the subject of the day, " Orchards and 

 how to preserve them." Dr. Wellington was requested to take it 

 up, as Mr. Robinson, who proposed it, was absent. 



Dr. Wellington said that the subject was certainly* very. inter- 

 esting, and his attention had been for many years drawn to the 

 subject by the decay of many noble trees of our best fruit. The 

 Russetts of New England have justly held rank. The Baldwin 

 very high rank. The first Baldwin is dead, and it is melancholy 

 to witness its descendants perishing at thirty and forty years of 

 age. Almost every tree in some orchards have left bearing fruit 

 of value, and have at last been cut down. Does the theory of the 

 life of the offspring of a fruit, dying with the parent, find con- 

 firmation ? Some of the trees lately dead were set in the orchard 

 of my father by me when I Avas young, thirty years ago ! We 

 have an excellent apple called the Graniiy apple which also 

 flourished long, but when that tree died its offspring began to 

 follow its example. We have tried all the best methods for culti- 

 vating and preserving the trees, in vain. Our former splendid 

 crops of Baldwins and others have gone, and profits with themj 

 for they were a valuable staple article in market. 



