PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 197 



a great advantage to the whole country. He suggests that seed bo for- 

 warded to the Secretary of the Farmers' Club for exchange. 



The Cherry and Rose Slug. -■ 



Mr. J. A. Donaldson writes from St. Joseph, that the slug men- 

 tioned by a Vermont correspondent, infests the pear, cherry and quince 

 trees in that section, and makes the trees look as though fire had passed 

 through them. He says : " I find fresh ashes a perfect remedy if industri- 

 ously applied. The morning, when the dew is on is the best time to apply 

 the ashes, but as the slug is slimy, the ashes will stick to them at any 

 time. But it is better to have the ashes adhere to the leaves also. Orchard- 

 ists here, who have a large number of trees to rid of them, use dry dirt, 

 throwing it over the trees with a shovel. But whatever the remedy, it 

 must be thoroughly applied, and repeated often. They commence their 

 depredations in June." 



Mr. A. S. Fuller said, that powdered lime was better than anything to 

 destroy these slugs ; and he would not put that nor ashes nor dust upon 

 the leaves when wet. If the lime touches the worms, it will adhere to and 

 kill them. The right time to apply it is when the slugs are on the upper 

 side of the leaves. This pest has troubled him for fifteen years, both east 

 and west, during which time he has used lime with success. 



Di*. Trimble exhibited paintings to show the appearance of the slugs, 

 and that the rose slug and cherry slug differ but slightly in color. The rose 

 slug adhered more pertinaciously than the other to the under side of the 

 leaf. 



The Early Samaritan Potato. 



Mr. J. C. Collins, New Albany, Indiana, thanks the Club for the informa- 

 tion that tlie above named potato is a humbug, and thinks that such infor- 

 mation will benefit others who might be induced to purchase it for seed. 

 He also wishes further information about the straw-cutter mentioned by 

 Mr. Carpenter, that would cut and crush cornstalks, and whether it could 

 be worked by hand power ? 



3Ir. Carpenter replied that two men could work it, but not economically. 

 It costs $40, and he believed was called the Hitchcock cornstalk cutter and 

 crusher, but it cuts hay and straw VQvy well also. 



Soda Wash for Fruit Trees — Lime — Dwarf Pear Trees, &c. 



Mr. A. C. Farmer, Cumberland, R. I., asks the following questions : 

 " I wish to ask the Club their opinion of washing soda as a wash for 

 young trees ? Will one pound to a gallon of water injure young trees ? 

 Also, the season and manner of applying lime to the orchard ? Would 

 shell or rock lime be preferable ? Will pears thrive on moist ground, 

 where water stands on the surface in a wet time ? It is a dark loam six 

 or eight inches deep, with a clay subsoil. Would the extensive cultivation 

 of dwarf pears prove a profitable investment ?" 



Prof. Mapcs : I have answered the question about soda wash for trees 

 so often, that I am sure that it need not be asked again. There is no dan- 

 ger in using the soda wash as recommended, one pound to a gallon of water 

 upon an}' tree, as it docs not aflfect live wood ; it does remove dead bark 



