THE NATIONAL 
NURSERYMAN. 
150 
willing to buy the finest grades of fruit is steadily on the in¬ 
crease, the sooner will they reap greater financial rewards. 
Mr. Hale spoke vigorously in favor of neat packages in ship¬ 
ment and cited many cases where care in this respect had 
resulted in a price nearly twice as great as in other cases. 
In his own packing house Mr. Hale employs girls, and says 
that he pays them for their work and then pags them as much 
more for their taste. He believes in labeling fruit packages, 
and showed samples of the labels used on his farms. He ad¬ 
vised every farmer to raise a flag pole and to name his farm, 
to fly the flag on all possible occasions and to advertise his 
fruit just as a successful manufacturer advertises his goods. 
“ Recent Work Among Our Insect Enemies ” was the topic 
discussed by Professor M. V. Slingerland, of Cornell Univer¬ 
sity, illustrated by stereopticon views of the apple worm, army 
worm and similar destructive pests. The best methods of ex¬ 
terminating insects were also enlarged upon. Prof. Slinger¬ 
land advised early spring spraying with Paris green for apple 
worms, and the digging out of peach borers. Tobacco and 
ashes planted at the roots of peach trees he had heard recom¬ 
mended, but doubted its efficacy. Cutworms can be kept 
down from trees with a band of wool or cotton around the 
trunk and the slaughter can be made complete by sprinkling 
poison around the roots. The only way to kill squash bugs is 
to capture and destroy the old bugs while on the vines in the 
spring, as no insecticide has yet been found that is effectual. 
Army worms can be checked if several deep furrows are 
plowed ahead of their path with frequent pitfalls dug in the 
furrow. The worms fall into the holes and are unable to climb 
up the perpendicular sides. Professor Slingerland, in closing, 
put in a plea in behalf of the English sparrow, which he said 
killed millions of young apple worms every year before they 
had penetrated the fruit. 
A CABINET CHOICE. 
T. T. Lyon referred to the fact that the secretaries of agri¬ 
culture had not appreciated the importance of the relative 
value to the country of horticulture. He proposed that the 
society make an attempt to have President McKinley appoint 
a man as secretary of agriculture who would give horticulture 
as much attention as he did the other branches of agriculture. 
He moved that a committee of three be appointed to draft a 
memorial to Mr. McKinley asking him to consider the wants 
of the horticulturist. 
The president appointed as such committee T. T. Lyon, C. 
W. Garfield and C. J. Monroe. 
As an expression of the sentiment of the society in regard 
to the matter, the following memorial was drafted and will be 
sent to Mr. McKinley by the secretary : 
The Michigan Horticultural Society, assembled in annual convention, 
having appointed a committee consisting of President T. T. Lyon. C. 
J. Monroe and C. W. Garfield, charged with the duty of memoralizing 
President-elect McKinley with reference to the selection of a broad man 
for secretary of agriculture, who shall adequately represent the large 
place that horticulture occupies in the agriculture of the nation, de¬ 
sires to record its loyalty to a man in the Middle West. whose utter¬ 
ances, works and influence have for years been on the side of progres¬ 
sive agriculture, and who, while especially championing the great 
dairy interests, has never neglected to acknowledge that horticulture 
is a leading factor in the evolution of American agriculture; therefore, 
Resolved, That we heartily indorse the candidacy of Ex-Governor 
Hoard of Wisconsin for the position of Secretary of Agriculture in the 
cabinet of the incoming administration. 
TARIFF RESOLUTION. 
A communication from some of the horticulturists of St. 
Clair county, which was referred to a special committee, was 
reported on in the shape of the following resolution : 
Resolved, That the secretary of the society address each of the Michi¬ 
gan representatives in the United States senate and house of represen¬ 
tatives as follows : The State Horticultural Society, assembled in its 
annual meeting in Grand Rapids, respectfully calls your attention to 
the tariff law regarding summer fruits, vegetables and nursery stock, 
which, as it now exists, allows these products to be shipped into the 
United States from Canada duty free, while our farmers and gardeners 
are obliged to pay duty—amounting, in the case of berries, to two 
cents per pound—on all summer fruits, vegetables and nursery stock 
shipped from the United States into the Dominion of Canada. We sub¬ 
mit that this is a hardship and heavy tax on our people from which 
they should be relieved, and we ask that you give the matter your 
immediate attention with a view to so amending the law as to correct 
the evil.” 
The resolution was unanimously adopted, the universal sen¬ 
timent being that a great necessity for such legislation exists. 
C. W. Garfield made a statement that aroused great surprise 
to the effect that Michigan horticulturists are paying from $25 
to $50 per ton for German fertilizers, while German growers 
are using fertilizers made from the refuse of the fly-paper fac¬ 
tory in Grand Rapids. This refuse is said to be particularly 
rich in properties that render oil meal so valuable. It is 
shipped to New York and thence exported to Germany. 
INDIANA HORTICULTURISTS. 
The thirty-sixth annual meeting of the Indiana Horticul¬ 
tural Society was held at Indianapolis, December 1-3. Presi¬ 
dent C. M. Hobbs, of the firm of Albertson & Hobbs, Bridge¬ 
port, in his annual address stated that with the exception of a 
few localities where winter apples were scarce, the fruit crop 
of the state was very full the past season. Peaches were 
everywhere. Even apricots were productive. Tree fruits 
were cheap. There were three principal causes for this. The 
trees bore liberally ; hard times with many unemployed had 
their effect, as poor people could not buy nearly so much as 
they desired ; the unusual climatic conditions that in spring 
appeared about the same time over areas widely different as to 
latitude caused fruit to ripen at nearly the same time, thus 
throwing large quantities upon the market at once. It is 
necessary to grow all classes of fruits so that they will be well 
distributed over the entire season and then to utilize them in 
every way possible. Can, dry, take advantage of cold storage, 
make vinegar, etc. It is gratifying to note the increase in the 
exportation of fruits. He commended the National Fruit 
Growers’ Union and thought it would greatly aid in the distri¬ 
bution of the crop and prevent injurious gluts. 
Among those who participated in the meeting was George 
W. Campbell, of Delaware, O., who discussed “ Grape Grow¬ 
ing as a Business.” S. D. Willard, Geneva, N. Y.; Professor 
Van Deman, of Virginia, and Professor Green, of Ohio, were 
also present. 
Resolutions were adopted favoring the encouragement of 
nut culture by asking the state fair to give premiums for nuts, 
favoring the observance of a bird day, recognizing the value of 
the Indiana academy of sciences, indorsing the National Fruit 
Growers' Union, and its work of providing a better market. 
