222 THE FLORIST AND 
PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE. 
Stated Meeting, August 1, 1855. — Vice President Clement in the 
chair. 
Mr. C. H. Muirhead, of Philadelphia, was elected a resident member. 
Four propositions for resident membership were received. 
Committee of Arrangement of the Exhibition reported having authorized 
the early enclosing of the grounds at Powelton, the erection of tents, stalls 
and shedding. Applications for space had already been received from 
contributors in this and adjoining States. A desire that the Fair should be 
every way worthy of Philadelphia, as a great agricultural and manufac- 
turing centre, pervaded the entire community. Proposals for the exclusive 
privilege of opening restaurants on the grounds had been submitted to the 
committee by several responsible parties in the city, but neither had as yet 
been accepted. 
The report was accepted, and the committee were instructed to advertise 
proposals for the privilege of opening restaurants. 
A member present ofl'ered a hundred dollars more than was received for 
the privilege last year, and was satisfied that at that price he would clear a 
thousand dollars. 
Mr. A. S. Roberts presented a number of copies of the last Agricultural 
Report of the Patent Office, and sundry packages of seeds recently received 
by him for the Society from said office. 
Mr. Isaac B. Baxter exhibited specimens of seedling Apricots of three 
varieties: — "Moor Bush," "Muscht," and "Baxter's Seedling, No. 1." 
Dr. G. Emerson called attention to the condition of the recent oats crop. 
In Delaware it was less than the average. In Kent county, and especially 
in New Castle county, this was the case. Here the loss was attributable 
to the attacks of an insect which entered the heads of the plants just 
before ripening, and caused the oats to " shatter." He had known the loss 
from this cause to equal three hundred bushels in thirty acres, or ten 
bushels to the acre. When the sheaves were tied up with the worms, they 
became quite offensive to the smell, and were rejected by horses. The 
worms were nearly an inch long, and called by some the "army worm," 
because they somewhat resembled it, and the eggs hatched out about the 
same time. Dr G. had been led by a hurried examination to regard the 
two insect^s as quite distinct. 
Mr. C. W. Harrison had also observed his oats to be very much shattered 
out ; so much so, that not more than three-fourths of a crop would be 
