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bearing upon the subject in which he has ventured, He will prepare 
himself for his newly-imposed task by seeking for practical infor- 
mation from all and every available source. His evenings, when 
not otherwise taken up, should be spent in the study of such 
subjects as the chemistry of soils, rotation of crops, seasons, and 
diseases of all kinds. Lastly, he should, if possible, provide him- 
self with a good powerful lens, supposing he cannot yet afford 
a microscope, and this, together with his note-book, should be his 
constant pocket companions ; he may then commence his study, 
during his leisure hours of economic entomology. ; 
My young friends will perhaps say—“ Oh! this advice may be 
all very well, but what time will a man have left after having 
spent his day in the field or orchard, and what inclination will he 
have, being tired, for either literary work or for the study of 
entomology?” My reply is, that to the man who is intellectually 
and studiously inclined nothing hardly is impossible. 
In the room to-day, brought here for your inspection, are some 
of the most beautiful illustrations of insects and their life-histories 
that have ever been done in Australia. These illustrations, mark 
you, have been prepared by my young friend, C. C. Brittlebank, 
in after hours—often after having followed the plough from day- 
light till dark. No light work on such land as that at Pentland 
Hills, I can assure you. If you require information on these 
subjects read Smiles’ “ Life of a Scotch Naturalist” or “ Lives 
of the Earlier Lancashire Botanigts.” These works ought to 
be possessed by every student, having been written when there 
was no such thing known to the toiler as eight hours work, eight 
hours recreation, and eight hours rest. So you see, that without 
wishing to deprive you of your share of athletic sports, you can 
spend your spare time profitably, both for yourself and probably 
for others also. 
With the microscope—and very useful instruments of this kind 
may now be purchased at a cheap rate—there is to be derived 
endless pleasure. I allude to pleasure combined with profit. 
I do not mean that our embryo orchardist should, by the study 
of the above subjects, neglect for a moment his necessary duties. 
I well recollect my early horticultural training, when we used, 
after the day’s work was finished, around the fire at night, and in 
the season, either do much of our grafting, label-making, writing, 
&c., &c., with our instructor by our side; and who would, that is, 
when we thought proper to behave ourselves, read to us from 
such works as Paxton’s Dictionary, Loudon’s Encyclopedia, and 
others of the grand old works which, even in modern times, we 
cannot afford to despise. Thus many a pleasant and instructive 
evening was passed by those learning the business. 
The competitive system of giving prizes for the best essays and 
collections, prepared by permission of the Department, and assisted, 
