Proceedixgs of the Farmers' Club. 383 



Mr. J. B. Lyman, — The idea of this invention is new, and it may 

 be of great value. I move that the chemist, Mr. J. A. Whitney, be 

 connnissioned by tlie dub to make infusions of various forest leaves, 

 and learn by analysis the quantity of tannic acid they contain. At 

 the same time it would be well if he could ascertain and lay before 

 the community the exact amount of fertilizing matter contained in 

 the ashes of leaves, and also the ash of such wood as oak, ash, chestnut, 

 elm and pine. We need precise knowledge on these points, which, 

 no doubt, Mr. Whitney may be able to furnish. 



Mr. Jas. A. Whitney. — If I undertake this business I shall need 

 several pounds of leaves and a statement of the soil on which the 

 trees grew. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller, — I will furnish him with a bag of them from my 

 woods, and have no doubt but other members of the club will do 

 likewise. If this idea of using leaves instead of bark proves a success, 

 it will open a new channel to industry. 



Grand Traverse. 



J. E. Fisher, Glen Arbor, Lelenaw county, Michigan. — It has been 

 said that the great enemy of apple trees in the Traverse region is the 

 canker worm. Such is not the fact. In the season of 1865 the canker 

 worms were numerous, but that was the only year that they ever did 

 any damage since the settlement of the country. I am acquainted in 

 many of the fruit bearing regions of the western States, and all 

 tilings considered, that is, health, soil, water, climate, and facilities 

 to market, I claim, from fourteen years observation, the Grand 

 Traverse country superior for fruit raising ; and that the apple, plum, 

 peach, cherry, pear apricot, and nectarine, are raised successfully, and 

 have fewer enemies than in most fruit regions. The strawberry, 

 raspberry, and quince also do well. In your note of reply to Mr. 

 Yoorhees, you seem to think that the chances are unfavorable to 

 planting orchards on shares. IS'ow here are hundreds of responsible 

 men who can own plenty of land of first quality, but have no capital. 

 They would jump at the chance to have capitalists furnish the means ; 

 the settlers to do the labor and divide the profits. It surely can be 

 made a paying investment to both parties. 



Again, Eugene Lacroise, of Kansas, charges that the peaches here 

 were mostly killed last winter. This has no foundation. I reside in 

 the Traverse region, and have seen notliing of the kind ; I have over 

 1,000 peach trees of all sizes, from one to eleven years old, now 



