PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 47 



women's W(jrk is never done, &c. We know it, but such exercise will give 

 increuseil vigor of hoily und mind, and the liglit elastic step; then you can 

 lly around and do your hous(!Work in a jilVy. If a womarj takes good care of 

 her fruit garden, besides su|)|)lying her family with health giving luxuries, 

 she can have a hutdred dollars' worth or more of fruit to sell every year. 

 Women want a tliousand little et ceteras which the huj^biind does not see 

 the need of, and he has so many ways for his money she is put ofl"; besides, 

 she wants something besides politics to read. All of these extras she can 

 jnirchase with the proceeds of her fruit garden. It will drive away ill 

 health caused by too much indoor work, bring health, peace, and happiness 

 to the hearthstone. She will soon learn to love her miniature -fruit-farm, 

 take [tride to show it to her neighbors, the example would benefit the 

 neighl'urhoiid, and who knows but regenerate the rickety, sickly women of 

 America.'' 



Adjourned John W. Chamber?, Secretary. 



Maydl, 1864. 

 Mr. Nathan C. Ely in the Chair. 



Leaf Bligut. 



The Chairman called attention to the state of the weather, which was 

 cold and stormy last week, and dry and cold on Sunday, but to-day hot 

 enough for summer. lie also called attention to the almost universal 

 blight that has fallen upon cherries, and exhibited branches showing not 

 only the loss of fruit, but the foliage badly damaged by insects. He also 

 exhibited limbs of the apricot tree mentioned last week as having been so 

 well packed that it bloomed in the packing, and was planted in that State, 

 and this j'ear has a full crop of fruit. Now, almost every apricot has been 

 desirovfd by some animal that eats away half of the substance. "What 

 this destructor is I have failed to discover, as I find no living animal 

 about the tree except a large ffy. Can any one tell what it is that has 

 made such sudden havoc with the fruit ?" 



Dr. Trimble replied that he thought it was one of the leaf-curling cater- 

 pillars. The blast of cherry leaves exhibited is the work of aphides. 

 The blast of the cherries, I stated last week was occasioned by the warm, 

 wet weather, which rotted the calix, and the young fruit inclosed. Here 

 are specimens and here you see limbs of the black Tartarian cherry, which 

 18 hardier, or later, with the fruit all sound. But the great bulk of the 

 cherry crop, most of the plums, an 1 some of the pears, in this region, were 

 destroyed by the peculiar state of the weather, just as they were shedding 

 the blo8«or:.8. Now -look at these apple-tree limbs. This one looks as 

 though it had been scorched by a blaze of fire, shows the work of the 

 canker-worm. This one, with every leaf curled or coriugated, shows the 

 effect of little plant lice, which are so small that they are almost imper- 

 ceptible, 3*etHo innnerous as to cover every leaf during the very short period 

 of their existence, producing this blight which some people attribute to 

 the oast wind. Where large- trees are infested there is no remedy but to 

 preserve the birds. For small plants I f<jund a remedy in a strong decoc- 

 tion of plug tobacco. Dip the leaves into the liquid if convenient to do so, 



