CURCULIO.

Mr. Prettyman stated that he had had very good success in destroying them by means of open mouthed bottles filled with honey and water and suspended from the limbs of his plum trees.

Dr. Kennicott stated that he had found his plum weevils too shy and knowing to be caught in that way.

Mr. Win. Shaw, of Tazewell county, stated that the native sloe of this county, a variety [species] well worthy of general cultivation, was never bitten by the little Turks."

CAN FARMERS BE SUITABLY EDUCATED AT DENOMINATIONAL AND OTHER

EXISTING CLASSICAL SCHOOLS?

Mr. Arny, of Bloomington, in a speech replete with eloquence and good sense, state I that he hid for many years been connected with a classical institation in the east and that during that time he had had many opportunities of forming a correct estimate of the value of such institutions to the farmer ard mechanic. In a few forcible remarks Mr. A. then showed how inadequate the existing schools and colleges were to supply the want of proper industrial colleges, at which alone the farmer's son can be rightly trained and properly educated in a man er to do honor to his noble calling,

Farmers and mechanics must be practically educated, and mere book knowl. edge does not do. He spoke earnestly in favor of manual labor schools though he said he was fully aware of the almost universal prejudice which existed against the practicability of the system; but he thought the experiment had never been fairly tried. In order to have them succeed it was necessary that all should be placed on an equal footing and that every student, no matter what his position in life, should be required to perform a certain amount of daily labor.

He knew from experience that in our present classical colleges the physical faculties of the student were neglected to a most ruinous extent. He related the very interesting history of a successful manual labor school in one of the somthern states with which he was well acquainted.

Mr. Arny was fllowed by Mr. Pease, of Madison county, who supported his views in a most convincing and masterly manner, clearly demonstrating the dignity of labor, the important position which the farmer occupies, and the great need for him to be a scientific and thoroughly educated man.

Mr. Morris thought that mental instruction and manual labor were incompatible. Would recommend short school terins, and some practical busines*

occupation during the interim. Does not think the present schools and colleges sufficient for the proper education of the farmer.

Dr. Rutherford moved to adjourn, which was carried.

THIRD EVENING.

SPRINGFIELD, OCTOBER 5, 1854.

The society met, pursuant to adjournment, at 7 o'clock.
Dr. Kennicott in the chair.

FRUIT CULTURE.

Henry Shaw, of Tazewell county, stated that in his county the failure of the fruit crop had been almost universal; a few orchards of seedling apples had borne good average crops, but he had yet to hear of a single orchard of worked trees which had borne over half a crop. Peaches had borne well, but the fruit had been deficient in size and flavor. The grape crop, like every other crop, had suffered severely from the long, disastrous drouth.

That mischievous and annoying pest of the garden and vineyard, the rose bug, Macrodactylus subspinosa, had been quite a stranger with them this season, and Mr. S., who has carefully studied their habits, thinks that they will not return, at least for many years.

C. R. Overman, of Canton, Fulton county, agreed with Mr. S. touching the failure of the fruit crop, and stated that as usual his pear trees had suffered from blight. His Bartletts had done well, yielding fruit of superior size and flavor, but the pear crop was generally, or nearly, a failure. Mr. O. spoke in favor of careful house ripening for pears and said that every fruit grower should bear in mind that it was the only true way in which many varieties of this most delicious fruit could be had in full perfection. Many varieties when left to ripen on the tree are comparatively worthless."

The president and several other gentlemen fully concurred with Mr. O. as to the importance of the house ripening process for the pear.

Mr. Elisworth, of Du Page county, attributed the failure of the pear crop in his vicinity more to the late frosts than to the drouth. His trees had been free from blight and had made a fine growth. Mr. E. stated he had great faith in the pear when worked on the quince and hoped yet to see them generally cultivated in every fruit garden in the state. He had always found the Bartlett

to succeed best on the quince, and he considered it a valuable variety, especially when properly house ripened.

The tree, though not a remarkably strong grower is sometimes a little tender. Several of the gentlemen present here called upon Siniley She; herd, of Hennepin, Putnam county, to give his methed of cultivating the grape; to which the gentleman cheerfully responded.

Mr. S.'s grapes are grown upon a rich prairie loam and he uses no manure, considering it detrimental to the vine, as it induces too rapid a growth--causing them to winter kill. He is in favor of low training and thinks the bunches near the ground are of better size and richer flavor and not near as liable to suffer from rot as when grown after the Cincinnati method. He uses stakes five feet high and permits two shoots to grow to a single vine, one of which he trains to the stake and allows to bear one season, after which it is removed, and the other branch trained in its place. One new shoot must be grown each year to take the place of that which is annually removed; all others must be carefully pinched off, so that the, whole force of the root may be given to perfecting the fruit. Mr. S. propagates the grape by the simple and natural process called layering, which he is convinced is the best and safest way. He lays down the new wood in August, taking up the plants thus formed in the fall and burying them the same way as potatoes. The next spring he plants them where he wishes them to remain. When his bearing vines are just beginning to flower he pinches them back to within three or four leaves of the fruit buds. He preserves the grapes by packing them in sugar when ripe and dry.

Mr. Overman remarked that he had been successful in preserving them in boxes with cotton between the bunches,

[Extensive vine growers will hardly be made to believe that Mr. Shepherd's mode of propagation is better than that from cuttings.-Ed.]

DURABILITY OF TIMBER.

Mr. Win. Shaw had spent much time in examining the texture and comparative compactness of different varieties of wood. The locust is a heavy, close grained and very durable timber.

Mr. Ellsworth stated that fourteen years since he made a post and board fence of oak; a part of the posts were set with the top end in the earth; these are still sound, while the remainder have all been replaced. There was no difference in the quality of the timber, and the fact that a part were set with the top down was purely accidental. Now, when he wishes to build a fence, he waits till his posts are well seasoned and is always careful to set the top down. [We would here observe that it is a well established fact which every farmer should remember, that posts when set in the ground in the manner recommended by Mr. E. invariably last much longer than when set in the usual manner. The only reason why the butt end of a post is usually placed in the

ground, is because it is generally the largest. A little care in splitting and a trifling waste of timber, would obviate this difficulty.-Ed.]

Mr. Shepherd considers the common yellow and black locust identical. He is acquainted with a pair of gate posts of this timber, set in 1813, which are

but little decayed.

Dr. Kennicott remarked that there are but two species of the locust ( Rovinia) fit for timber, indigenious to the United States, though there are several sub-varieties of the Robinia Pseudacacia, or common locust, known to botan

ists.

[We would remark that Browne, in his " Trees of America," tells us that the red, yellow and white locust, though very different as to the colour and quality of the wood, are still identical; and that the difference in the value of the wood is entirely owing to soil and situation. The red locust is esteemed the best, while the white is comparatively worthless.-Ed.]

Mr. Arenz stated that he planted a grove of locusts twenty-two years ago; ten years since he split a part of the trees and used them for fence posts. Last spring he removed the fence and found part of the posts rotten. A part of them had been cut in the winter, the rest late in the summer; but he could not say which had rotted.

Mr. Helton, of Sangamon county, said he had on his farm a lot of locust posts, set two years, which were already badly rotted, and would not last more than five or six years. They were well seasoned when set, and he had been careful to strip the bark from them.

J. A. Wight, editor Prairie Farmer, remarked that the locust was extensively grown on Long Island, where it is used for wheel hubs; a purpose for which it is admirably suited, being very hard and not liable to check.

Mr. Tyler is of the opinion that locust posts will last twenty-five years. Mr. Prettyman was well acquainted with the locust at the east, where it is in great demand among boat and ship builders, who use it for pins. It is a strong and durable wood, and in some cases better than iron, which is always liable to rust out. Mr. P. has never been able to detect any difference between our locust and the variety grown at the east.

President Brown spoke warmly in favor of the great importance of this subject to the farmers of our state, which in many parts is destitute of timber. He was, he sail, a warm advocate of the locust, and would earnestly recommend it for extensive cultivation. He has on his farm some fine groves, worth $100 per acre, for timber alone, while they furnish excellent pasturage, indeed better than open prairie. Has known the locust since he was a boy, in Kentucky-the black and yellow are the same. He is acquainted with rail fences inade of locust thirty years ago that are now perfectly sound, and has no doubt but what he could find fences fifty years old, in the state of Kentucky, equally good. Believes the locusts grown in Sangamon county as good as those of any other section.

Mr. Arny, of McLean county, considered the durability of the locust for posts or rails unquestionable. Has known gate posts sixty five years old.

B. Murray, of La Salle, does not think, judging from his own experience. that the locust is remarkable for durability below ground. He suspects that his must be a different variety.

President Brown thought Mr. Murray must be mistaken in supposing his a different variety.

Mr. Murray believes that there is a difference between the black and yel low locust, which may account for their difference in experience.

Mr. Wight said that it was certainly a mooted point as to their being identical. Mr. Overman thought that the difference in soil and growth might make a vast difference in the value of the timber.

[There are three distinct species of the locust cultivated in Illinois. The Robinia pseudacacia, or common locust. R. viscosa-clammy cust-with flowers rose-tinged, and inodorous; and the R. hispidu-a pretty garden shrub. All of these have marked sub varieties; and it is very probable that there may be some tendency to the preservation of the difference by seeds, though contrary to received opinion. That soil, situation, cultivation, age, &c., modify the texture and affect the durability of the wood, there can be no doubt. The claminy locust is a smaller tree than the common and flowers much later. Ed.

FOURTHI EVENING.

SPRINGFIELD, OCTOBER 6, 1854. f

Dr. John A. Kennicott in the chair.

It was well understood by all those members of the society regularly attending these evening meetings that this was to be devoted to the discussion of a plan for the proper education of the producing classes; or in other words, Industrial Education," in accordance with the published views of the Industrial League" of Illinois.

Our reporter, Charles Kennicott, having left for home, no record of this evening's very important doings has been preserved in a regular form. The chairman, however, distinctly remembers, that after some disultory talk about the culture of sweet potatoes, and a partial resumption of the timber question, &e.. the regular business of the session was taken up and several capital speeches made, when resolutions endorsing the main features of the plan of the league were introduced and freely discussed, and after an amendment, by Juge McClun, of McLean county, to the effect that we approved the principle of a reasonsble amount of compulsory manual labor in the practical education of the pupils of the proposed school, the whole were, on motion of Simeon Francis, our recording secretary, UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED.