AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 33Y 



Mr. Carpenter described another terrific destroyer, known in his neigh- 

 borhood as the potato bug, which will eat up a whole crop, and then leave 

 the potatoes for any other crop. I drove them from my field by sowing 

 powdered lime. 



Mr. Grale said the same bug was destructive in Central New York, last 

 season. They make their appearance in July. 



Doct. Trimble. — The bug is the Sytea A?nericana-th.e American blister- 

 ing fly; it is destructive only occasionally of growing crops. 



Mr. Carpenter. — I consider this one of the most alarming bugs that infests 

 this part of the country. 



Mr. Smith. — The bug I speak of is so plenty in Ohio, that it destroys 

 gardens entirely. It preys upon my apple trees and various other things. 



Mr. Seeley. — An infusion of aloes is highly reccommended to keep off 

 bugs. 



Mr. Smith. — I have tried that, but prefer the use of gypsum. 



Mr. Carpenter. — A neighbor of mine uses quassia infusion to keep off 

 bugs, and finds it quite successful. 



John Gr. Bergen. — I dont know a better remedy for bugs on cabbage 

 plants than dust from the road. 



The Chairman. — The ordinary powdered gypsum called plaster of Paris, 

 is not a manure, but improves its crops by the sulphuric acid it contains. 

 But it may be used in too large quantities. 



CULTIVATION OP FRUIT. 



This subject was called up, and an interesting communication from S. P. 

 Landers, of Clinton, N. Y., was received by the Club with great satisfac- 

 tion. The title of his paper is: 



PLANT APPLE TREES. 



'' You urge the importance of planting apple trees. Such exhortations 

 cannot be too often made. Planting fruit-trees is a business too little dis- 

 cussed in the papers, and too little practiced by the farmers. How often 

 we hear men regretting — old men and men in the prime of life, that they 

 did not turn their attention to fruit growing in their younger days; but now 

 they say it is too late — we should never eat the fruit. Such men have no 

 thought of leaving the world any better than they found it, in this rspect; 

 and seem to be satisfied with their selfish reasoning and continue to plow 

 their fruitless and treeless farms till their land and their lives are worn 

 out. Their children and the rising generation, have to suffer for their sins 

 of omission. It is certain that our old orchards are fast going to decay, 

 and very many of them are worthless, and indeed always were, except to 

 raise apples for cider and stock. The warm, and freezing winters, we 

 have had for the last three years, and particularly the warm February, and 

 the freezing March, of 1857, have been very destructive to fruit trees, both 

 young and old, in this section of country. This has had a discouraging 

 effect upon the timid spirits of our farmers. The midge destroys their 

 wheat, and theit potatoes rot, but they try again. The fly eats their bar- 



[Am. Inst.] 22 



