Part 41 (1/2)
_Control._--Since the weevils do not disperse readily, and since they hibernate within the fields, the one crop system and the plowing up of the beds immediately after picking would probably do away with the injury entirely. This one crop system could be followed for about two years, when it might be advisable to return to the two crop system if the weevils have disappeared.
On April 18, 1916, the weevils were located by the writer underneath the straw, and beginning to move about. From observations last year, it would be advisable to remove the straw from one or two rows in order to hasten the maturity of the buds, and keep the straw on the remainder of the patch in order to force the weevils to the uncovered row. They could then be destroyed either by plowing under or burning.
Some recent experiments by Prof. Headlee, State Entomologist of New Jersey, appear to have been successful against the strawberry weevil. A dust spray of a mixture of a.r.s.enate of lead one pound, and sulphur one pound, was used as a repellent, giving almost perfect protection. The material was applied twice, April 30th and May 6th.
The writer will be glad to co-operate with the growers, if they find the presence of the weevil in their strawberry beds.--S. Marcovitch, Section of Economic Entomology, Division of Economic Zoology, University Farm.
Secretary's Annual Report, 1915.
A. W. LATHAM, SECRETARY.
Twenty-five years is a long time to look forward to, but it does not seem so long when you look back, and yet when I review the changes that have taken place in the Horticultural Society since I a.s.sumed the position of secretary twenty-five years ago the way seems long indeed.
In the year 1890 very nearly all of the old members of the society, those who had contributed their time and money to bring it into existence and keep it alive for its first twenty-four years were still on the members.h.i.+p roll and doing loyal work for the a.s.sociation. As year by year pa.s.sed these veterans of the a.s.sociation one by one dropped away until at the present time the number of those in that cla.s.s who are still with us here are so few in number that it becomes almost a vanis.h.i.+ng point. In the year 1897 a photograph was taken of ”ten veterans of horticulture,” a copy of which is hanging in the secretary's office, and of these ten the only one now with us is that loyal friend and supporter of the society, Seth H. Kenney, of Waterville, now eighty years of age and too feeble to attend this meeting. Going back to a date still earlier, covering the first few years of the a.s.sociation, the only working members of the society as far as the secretary recalls are J. M.
Underwood, C. M. Loring and himself. This is the order of nature, and we should remember only with grat.i.tude and affection those who have served before us and with us and pa.s.sed on.
At the close of this, the forty-ninth year of the society, we find the members.h.i.+p roll somewhat larger in number than at any previous period in its history, there being on the annual roll 3,079 members, and on the life roll 311 members, of whom 30 are honorary. There have been added to this roll the past year one honorary life member, Mr. Lycurgus R. Moyer, of Montevideo, and 20 paid life members. The number of deaths appearing on this life roll during the past year is fortunately only two, Mr. E. A.
Webb, editor and manager of ”The Farmer,” who had been a member since 1906, and V. A. Neil, of Minneapolis, whose death occurred prior to the 1914 annual meeting but had not been spoken of heretofore.
As usual a considerable number of sources have contributed towards this large members.h.i.+p roll. The auxiliary societies, of which there are 10 have brought upon this roll in all 878 members. One new auxiliary society has been added to the number this year, organized in St. Paul under the name of ”Horticultural, Poultry and Improvement a.s.sociation of West St. Paul.” An auxiliary society maintained at Crookston for a number of years seems to be no longer in existence and should probably be taken from the list of auxiliaries. The farmers' inst.i.tutes have not contributed as largely to the members.h.i.+p roll as some previous years, on account in part of the fact that the work heretofore done by farmers'
inst.i.tutes is being done in farmers' clubs and schoolhouse meetings of farmers, which does not offer as good an opportunity for securing members.h.i.+ps, though the service to the cause of horticulture is probably even better. Through this source the society has received this year 146 members.h.i.+ps. Many of the nurserymen have contributed liberally to the members.h.i.+p this year, members.h.i.+ps that were given by them to their customers in accordance with an arrangement made with this office. In all from this source have come upon our roll 172 members.h.i.+ps.
The State Fruit-Breeding Farm continues to be the object of permanent central interest in our a.s.sociation. Unfortunately the frosts of last spring interfered with the fruiting of the thousands of trees which under other circ.u.mstances would have borne fruit, many of them for the first time, so that practically few advances have been made the past year in breeding new tree fruits except in preparation for the future.
In small fruits it was different, and the list of these worthy of trial which are standing the climate well is a growing one. Our members.h.i.+p are exceedingly interested in these new fruits as manifested by the large number called for through the distribution of plant premiums. In all there were sent out this year 2,594 lots of these plant premiums.
There is a growing interest in top-grafting late-keeping varieties of apples as indicated by the large number of calls made on this office for scions for this purpose the past season.
The seedling contests continue and the interest in growing seedlings continues as well, there having been a call during the past year from this office for a considerable number of packages of apple seeds by our members.h.i.+p.
So far no apple seedling has appeared to which we could award the $1,000 prize offered by the society for a winter apple. Referring to the seedling contest inaugurated some years ago, the first $100 premium in connection with which should have been awarded three years ago, it appears that the time limit for the fruitage of these seedlings was made too short. The fourth premium comes due at this meeting, but no claimants have as yet come forward for any of these premiums. Probably it will be thought a wise thing to do to continue these awards during later years when these seedling trees will come into bearing.
The ”acre orchard” contest entered into a year ago last spring in which there 35 entries finally materialized into a smaller number than antic.i.p.ated, reports having come into the office last year from 23 contestants. The reports for the current year are now being received but not all at hand.
The executive board provided conditions under which these orchards should be conducted and the prizes awarded, which conditions will be found published in the 1914 report of the society on page 45.
Trial stations are continuing their work and are being used princ.i.p.ally now as far as new material is concerned in testing of fruits from the State Fruit-Breeding Farm. To this list has been added the government station at Mandan under the management of A. W. Peterson, reports from which point will also be made to our a.s.sociation from time to time, as well as from the trial stations connected with University Farm, all of which stations have been added also to our society list.
Arrangements are being perfected for the purpose of extending to our members.h.i.+p opportunity to use the books from the society library, which is now increased to about 3,300 volumes. This list has been published in the 1915 report of the society, and we shall be prepared early in the year to send out books to all who desire them according to the regulations, which will be published in an early number of our monthly.
The society is maintaining its card indexes and adding year by year to the amount of material which they represent. One of these cards indexes contains the names and t.i.tles of all the articles published in the society's annual reports and is indexed also with the names of the writers, the index being prepared in this double manner. Another card index contains the list of books in our library, and the third one, indexed by subjects, the bulletins on horticulture coming from the various state experiment stations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These indexes are invaluable for their various purposes and may be used by the members.h.i.+p at their volition.
The society maintained an office at the late state fair, at which a considerable number of members.h.i.+ps were received and a large number of members met by the secretary and other officers of the society. We believe this was an excellent move and should be continued in the future.