700 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



As the premiums offered by Mr. Greeley were made known only a few days 

 before the exhibition of the Horticultural Association of the American Insti- 

 tute in September last, the committee, in justice to themselves and the pub- 

 lic, after freely discussing the relative merits of the fruits already presented, 

 passed unanimously the following resolutions : 



Besolced, That the award of the " Geeeley premiums" be postponed until 

 after the exhibitions of the Horticultural Association of the American Insti-' 

 tute, to be held in the middle of September, the second Tuesday in November 

 and second Tuesday in December, 1865. 



Resolved, That invitations for competition be extended to the growers of 

 all varieties of apples, pears and grapes, except the following kinds, speci- 

 mens of which have been received by the committee : 



Apples. — Hubbardston Nonesuch, Fallawater, Conkling's Seedling, Swaar 

 and Baldwin. 



Fears. — Bartlett, Lawrence, Duchess d'Angouleme, Danas' Hovey. 



The object in extending the time from September 15 to the second Tuesday 

 in December, is to give persons offering late varieties of fruits an onuortunity 

 of presenting them when fully matured. 



It was resolved that Mr. P. B. Mead be requested to act with this commit- 

 tee in awarding the premiums on the grape, which, at Mr. Greeley's request, 

 is to be decided by that committee. 



The following gentlemen compose the committee : John A. Warder, chair- 

 man; P. T. Quinu, secretary; Chas. Downing, Isaac M. Ward, Wm. S. Car- 

 penter, W. L. Ferris, E. Ware Sylvester, 



The Chairman introduced to the audience, Dr. Isaac P. Trimble of New 



Jersey, who delivered an interesting and instructive lecture on the nature 



and habits of the span or measure worm, one of the great pests of our 



• fruit and shade trees, giving a detailed account of his researches and 



examinations chiefly in regard to this worm. 



His remarks were illustrated by numerous drawings of these worms in 

 every stage of their development, and of the leaves upon which they feed. 



The lecture was an extract from a diary kept during the season of the 

 insect's life. 



THE EGGS. 



The lecturer first exhibited a handful of branches on which were large 

 numbers of eggs, and called attention to the fact that the eggs were nearly- 

 all on the lower sides of the limbs. He stated that no degree of cold 

 injured the eggs, but that when ice collected on the branches it was some- 

 times fatal to them. 



WORDERFUL INSTINCT OF THE MOTHER. 



The diary commenced with the coming forth of the leaves on the 8th of 

 May. The degree of warmth that is necessary to bring forth the leaves is 

 also just the degree that is required to hatch the eggs. The mother knew 

 this last July when she deposited her eggs, and therefore selected those 

 trees which would put forth their leaves at the same time that the eggs 

 would hatch. 



It may be asked. How do these little feeble, fluttering insects know which 

 are the riirht trees ? I cannot answer. We call it instinct. But what is 



