PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 3T5 



the young butterfly emerge from that case ; see how she takes 

 advantage of the power of gravity to aid in the expanding of her 

 beautiful wings ; see her daintily flutter about in this world of 

 ours, which " she scarcely deigns to touch," — a thing of beauty — 

 and contrast her with what she was — the "great, ugly worm," — 

 and then read the poetry and study the mythology of the ancients 

 with a better understanding. 



Dr. Waterbury said that he thought the books were in error 

 in saying that the span-worm undergoes its metamorphose in the 

 ground. He had never found it descending the web, and believed 

 their descending was an accident. 



Mr. Carpenter recommended a solution of 1 pound of potash 

 in a gallon or 6 quarts of water, to be applied at this time of the 

 year by the hydropult, to the trees, for the destruction of all kinds 

 of insects that infest the trees. 



Mr. Fuller said that 1 pound of potash to 4 quarts of water 

 would injure young limbs ; but with 6 quarts of water, the solu- 

 tion may be thrown over all the limbs of the tree without burn- 

 ing the bark. 



Dr. Trimble advised caution in using quack applications. 

 Many insects are useful. They are a part of God's creation to 

 make the earth perfect. We should first find out what insects to 

 destroy, and then how to do it. 



MANURES AND THEIR APPLICATION. 



Mr. Solon Robinson read an extract from a letter from a gen- 

 tleman in Wisconsin, who proposes not only to dispense with 

 manures but with plowing. His theory is that the granules of 

 the soil and the seed granules form a battery, and' that the dis- 

 turbance of the former is just as truly an injury as the breaking 

 of the latter, and leads to the exhaustion of the soil. Hence it 

 is that in artificial culture the soil is so soon exhausted, while 

 forest trees may continue upon it for ages without exhausting it. 

 He also asserts that leaving the land naked by plowing is an 

 injury, that it should always be covered. 



Mr. Gale considered the last idea as the only valuable one, 

 and spoke in favor of topdressing immediately after the ground 

 is denuded by taking off the crop. He would never draw manure 

 but once. Thousands of tons of straw are burned every season, 

 which might much better be put upon the land, and thus we 

 might have wheat after wheat year after year. One field has. 



