der bearing trees, but that the orchard be 
constantly cultivated the whole sea c on 
through. Those who did so the past year had 
a very bountiful crop of line, large apples. 
Small fruits the past year also taught the 
same lesson, and the sooner we follow this 
kind of work, the better the crop will be. 
Raspberries and strawberries are dwindling 
down to a few varieties for profit. Crescent, 
Cumberland and Sharpless are the varieties 
which received the most votes as best three 
strawberries. Cuthhert, Hopkins and Gregg 
received the most votes for the best three 
raspberries. Snyder was declared to be the 
leader of all the blackberries. 
A number of new apples wore brought into 
notice by different members. There was a 
very fine collection of new seedlings. The 
society is endeavoring to bring out new seed¬ 
lings all over our State in the hope that we 
shall find something of value to add to our 
fruit list. The Ifi new varieties shown were 
remarkable for size, beauty, quality and pro¬ 
ductiveness. 
The first premium was given to a new apple 
named Howell, from Howell Co ; the second,to 
a seedling of t he Shockley, from Springfield, 
said to lie a great keeper; the third, to a very 
beautiful large, red apple like Wine Sap, from 
Beaman, Mo, 
The ornamentation of our school yards and 
the grounds of all our State institutions was 
heartily indorsed and urged upon the State 
and School Boards. Every one went away 
with new life and enthusiasm, and the workers 
are just beginning to find out that each one 
can do something to help the good work 
along. l. a. Goodman, Sec’y. 
THE AMERICAN MEROMYZA. 
Fig. 10. 
adults emerge during May and June. These 
again deposit their eggs on the wheat plants. 
Fig. 14. 
the larvae working, this time, just above the 
Upper joint (Fig. 15), causiug the head to wither 
and die prior to harvest. 
Tho habits of the insect are quite well under¬ 
stood, but the exact number of broods occur¬ 
ring each season has not been definitely set¬ 
tled. The closely allied European species are 
said to be double-brooded; and thus far only 
this number has been proved to exist in tins 
country. Prof. Forbes will not exclude the 
p< ssibility of a third brood, “which may 
develop duriug August and September in 
volunteer wheat, rye. or possibly in grass or 
some other plant.'’ The observations bearing 
upon this point are given by Prof. Webster in 
the bulletin. From these observations ho con¬ 
cludes as follows: “While it may be too much 
to claim the existence of a third brood at this 
time, the evidence seems to he surprisingly 
favorable. If we are correct, the farmer can 
not only head them off by late sowing, but also 
Tms insect, the same as that studied by Dr. 
Lintncr under the name of “Wheat Stem- 
maggot.” and later by Prof. Forties under the 
terra “Wheat Bulb-worm," is described in a 
bulletin prepared by Prof. Webster and issued 
by the Perdue University School of Agricul¬ 
ture. La Fayette, Ind. Great damage to wheat 
growers has been traced to it in Illinois and in 
Indiana The insect is more especially destruc¬ 
tive to young wheat in the fall, the adult fly 
(Fig. 10) depositing her eggs (Fig. 11, highly 
fight them by destroying volunteer wheat.” 
■ »«» — - - - 
IS THE LADY BUG AN ENEMY? 
Fig. 11. 
magnified) ou the young plants, the larvae 
(Fig. 12) from which feed upon and destroy 
Fig. 12. 
the tender stern, within which they may be 
found (Fig. 13). Sometimes the entire plant 
F. McKay, Halifax, N. S., in au article in 
the American Cultivator, says that the lady- 
bugs are tire worst enemies that he has in his 
orchard. He finds them amongst the top 
brauehes of apple-trees during May and June, 
depositing their eggs at the foot of the blos¬ 
soms. When the grubs hatch from tho eggs 
they roll themselves in the young leaves until 
the fruit is large enough to enter, when they 
bore to the core of the apple and then return 
to the outside anil get a small leaf which they 
secure to the mouth of tho aperture to prevent 
their hiding place from being found by tho 
birds. Either this is not the lady-bug. or more 
properly lady-bird (Cocinnella) that we have, 
or else its habits are very different in Mr. 
McKay's orchard from what they are in this 
section. 1 have spout considerable time the 
past season wutebiug their various transfor¬ 
mations. So far as my observations go, they 
prey only upon insect life, tho aphides that 
infest many trees and plants boiug their favor¬ 
ite food. The insect is considered of great 
value to the trait-grower ou this account. 
This is the first instance 1 have ever heard of 
its injuring fruit. m. h. 
Geneva, N. Y. 
i-HiscfUancoits. 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
is destroyed, and sometimes only the central 
portion, as shown in Fig. 13. also. Passing 
the winter in the larval state, they transform 
to pupuria (Fig. 14) iu spring, from which the 
Farmers’ Institutes,— As noted last week, 
the N. Y. State Agricultural Society proposes 
to hold three Farmers’ Institutes as follows: 
At Ithaca Feb. lt*-lS, aud later at some point 
in the Northern part of the State. The presi¬ 
dent of the society, Maj. Alvord, and Mr. J. 
S. Woodward work as a committee in conjunc¬ 
tion with the secretary to make the meetings 
successful. We are iuformed by Mr. Wood¬ 
ward that uo efforts will be spared to make 
these institutes enjoyable and instructive. We 
believe they will be. Those who can attend 
should allow nothing to keep them away. We 
have severely criticised the agricultural au¬ 
thorities of this great State for being so lag¬ 
gard in a work which the younger States of 
the West have pushed to a wonderful degree 
of success. Now these authorities have started, 
it is the duty of all farmers to rise to the occa¬ 
sion and push the matter so hard that it can¬ 
not stop. Instead, of three institutes there 
should he 50, and there will be that number 
next year if New York farmers will express 
emphatically their approval of this movement. 
Go if you can, but if you canuot, no matter in 
what part of the State vou live, write a strong 
letter to either of the following gentlemen, ap¬ 
proving this movement and asking for an in¬ 
stitute in your county. Address J. S. Wood¬ 
ward. Lockport, N. Y.; Maj H. A. Alvord, 
Houghton Farm, Orange Co., N. Y., or T. L. 
Harrison, Albany, N. Y. 
Scientific Grinding Mills.— Catalogue 
from The Foos Manufacturing Co., Spring- 
field, Ohio. The mills described in the cata¬ 
logue are claimed to be the best on earth for 
grinding ear corn into corn-and-cob meal. 
The use of corn-and-cob meal is increasing. 
Some months since we gave the results of an 
experiment made by Prof. Shelton.of Kansas, 
as to the comparative feeding values of ordin¬ 
ary meal and corn-and-cob meal. Our read¬ 
ers will remember that Poof. S. found the 
corn-and-cob meal a more economical food, 
but that the greatest difficulty he found was 
in securing a mill that would grind it as fast 
as desired. We have heard this same opinion 
frequently expressed by farmers. We believe 
that many of the reported failures in the use 
of corn-and-cob meal have been due to the 
fact that the meal was not properly ground. 
With this idea in mind, farmei's will do well 
to carefully examine the mills described in 
this catalogue. They are well described and 
illustrated in every way. The Ann also man¬ 
ufactures sweep powers, corn-shelters and oth¬ 
er tools described in the catalogue. 
History and Biology of Pear Blight.— 
Pamphlet bv Prof. J. C. Arthur. This con¬ 
tains the thesis presented to the faculty of 
Cornell University by Prof. Arthur, for the 
Doctorate in Science. It is taken from the 
Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academv of 
Natural Sciences. It an pears that pear blight 
is peculiar to this country No portions of 
the United States are exempt, but some locali¬ 
ties are more liable to it than others. It has 
not yet been observed in other countries. 
The losses due to its ravages are so great in 
some sections that pear growiug is practically 
impossible. The various theories that have 
been advanced as to the origin of blight are 
carefully reviewed, and special stress is 
laid upon what is known as the bacterial 
♦heory, viz:—that the disease is caused by 
bacteria. This theory is most skillfully and 
exhaustively examined. Orchardists should 
secure this pamphlet. 
Vermont Agriculture —Ninth Report of 
the Vermont State Board of Agriculture for 
the years lss5-'Sti.—This volume is a good one. 
Every farmer in Vermont ought to read it. 
and there are plenty outside of that State who 
would never find the time spent in examining 
it lost. We hope to quote from it in the fu¬ 
ture. It is well worthy attention. The first 
thing to meet our eve as we opened the vol¬ 
ume at random, was the title of that beautiful 
story bv Mrs. Rose Terry Cooke, entitled, 
“ Two Mrs. Tuckers.” We doubt if the En¬ 
glish language contains a truer and more ten¬ 
der hit of pathos than is contained in the few 
pages of that story. Wo wish every farmer in 
this country could learn it by heart. 
Geneva Germinating Apparatus —This 
implement promises to be iudespensable to 
seedsmen aud others having seeds to test. It is 
a copper tank fix 12x3 inches, in which are 
olaeed 50 pockets of asbestos felt supported 
by movable rods so arranged that when one 
pocket is opened for examination, the others 
can be kept closed. This prevents the mix¬ 
ing of seeds by accident The tank contains 
about one-fourth inch of water iuto which 
the ends of the feet project. Tho capillary 
properties of the felt cause a uniform moist¬ 
ure throughout the pockets, while the cover 
insures a saturated atmosphere and even tem¬ 
perature. J. M. Thorburn & Co., 51 Johu 
St., New York, are agents for this Gerrniu- 
ntor. 
The Audubon Society for the protection 
of birds has done a vast amount of good. It 
has now 70,000 enrolled members. The society 
has discouraged the wearing of feathers on 
the hats of ladies so well that a great change 
for the better is noticed in the best quartet's of 
society. The attempt to induce the wearing 
of feathers of game or domestic birds in place 
of those of tiny song birds has been very suc¬ 
cessful. This society is an admirable one. 
Its influence should be widely extended. It 
costs nothing to join, and there should be a 
branch in every county of the Union. Infor¬ 
mation can be obtained by addressing The 
Audubon Society, 40 Park Row, New York. 
The Twelfth Annual Meeting of the 
Ayrshire Breeders’ Association will be 
held at Albany, N. Y., January 20, in the 
rooms of ths N. Y. State Agricultural Soci¬ 
ety. All interested in the breeding of Ayrshire 
cattle are invited to attend. The usual topics 
of interest to cattle breeders andVdairymen 
will be discussed. 
Ohio Experiment Station— Bulletins Nos. 
20 and 21. relating to Pig Feeding and Stron- 
gylus contortus in sheep. 
Bureau of Education.— Circulars of in¬ 
formation regarding the study of music in 
the public schools. From the Secretary of 
the Interior. 
A Novel Way to Pbeserve Flowers.— 
At au English horticultural meeting, flowers 
were exhibited iu a glass filled with water. A 
large glass globe was filled with water 
aud fitted with a wide and flat stopper. To 
the stopper the flowers were attached and 
then carefully introduced into the water in 
the globe, the stopper completely filling the 
mouth of the globe aud being wide enough to 
stand safely. By turning the whole arrange¬ 
ment so that it stood on the stopper, the flow¬ 
ers were left completely surrounded oy water. 
The water magnifies the Bowel's and a pleasing 
optical illusion results. Flowers thus im¬ 
mersed will keep twice as long as those in the 
air. 
The Use of Ferrets for destroying rats 
and other vermin is increasing. In this city 
there are. several establishments which do a 
lively business in ferrets, both for sale and to 
hire. In hundreds of fashionable houses fer¬ 
rets are constantly kept for service. The cat 
in these houses has degenerated into a lazy 
pet At the poultry shows a large cage of fer¬ 
rets can be seen on exhibition as well as a cage 
of rats. Good ferrets are iu demand. They 
can be trained so as to obey the voice of their 
trainer and to enter or return from a rat-hole 
as he may direct. The usual plan in huuting 
rats is to put the ferret into the hole. He 
either kills the rat or, if there be many, drives 
them out, when they can be killed. A rat 
catcher with a pack of well-trained ferrets 
can clear a house of rats in a wonderfully 
short time. 
TRANSCONTINENTAL LETTERS.— 
LXXI1I. 
MARY WAGER-FISHER. 
Beauties of Riverside; enormous increase 
in price of land; no worthless men or fives 
permitted; irrigation; profitable orange 
orchards; healthfulness of the place ; cli¬ 
mate: figs and roses; caution needed in 
l 'locating;'’ , drawbacks. 
A gentleman in Oakland had said to us: 
“Now, when you go to Riverside, don’t try to 
see it all. for it will kill you! Why, they 
have an avenue there 10 miles long, with a 
row of pepper trees through the middle, euca¬ 
lyptus on one side and Gravellia robusta on 
the other, alternating with palms, and at 
every cross-road magnolias, and the whole 
place is one general combustion of beauty! 
Don’t try to take it all in.” So, being fore¬ 
warned. we were content with half of. theten- 
miles-long street called Magnolia Avenue, and 
spent the remainder of the day in quieter 
streets and in orange groves. 
This city of orchards aud vineyards was, 
15 years ugo, literally a sandy desert, and the 
unimproved land that now sells for $ 500 per 
acre could then be had for #10, Planted vine¬ 
yards now sell for from #500 to #1,000 per 
acre, iueludiug water right, and water right 
goes with all land sold. An orchard in full 
bearing—budded fruit bears at five years aud 
is in full bearing at 10—sells for #1.000 per 
acre. The Riverside people are largely New 
Englanders. They allow no saloons in this 
city; no shiftless, careless farmers. If such a 
man chances to settle there, they buy him out 
and get rid of him. If a man allows a diseased 
or unhealthy tree to remain in his orchard, 
they club together and buy the tree, and then 
burn it—if its destruction caunot otherwise be 
peaceably accomplished. The result is that 
the Riverside fruit is perfectly clean, the trees 
gloriously healthy aud the orchards free from 
woods aud grass. The soil is kept well stirred 
aud the trees well, trimmed and all the time 
growing. 
The river that gives Riverside'Its name, is a 
