Dr. Morris: It probably is the June bug, and turkeys and ducks would solve the problem.
Mr. C. A. Reed: The only suggestion I would make is that in Ohio you have one of the best posted authorities on nut insects there is in the country. That is Prof. H. A. Gossard, at Wooster. If he can not tell you about it, no one can.
Mr. J. F. Jones: I think it is no doubt it is the ordinary May beetle that is doing the mischief.
President Reed: I might say we had quite a deluge of beetles along that line in the nursery a year ago this last June, the first time we have ever been bothered with them. They finally became so thick we had to go through and shake the trees and shake them off. They looked something like the May beetle, only smaller, hard shelled, and seemed to come by the millions; but they only lasted a few days, and it was all over, and we have never seen them since.
Mr. C. A. Reed: There is one more question I would like to ask Mr. Simonds, and that is in regard to the proper distance for spacing nut trees along avenues and in parks.
Mr. Simonds: I think that in both of those situations it is well to give the trees a natural appearance by grouping, and sometimes they can be far apart, and sometimes I think there might be a group of two or three close together, so that they would grow in one group. That will give a more natural arrangement in parks, and we have room enough along the sides of most of our highways to have the same effect there. The policy to be pursued with regard to spacing nut trees along highways would be the same that we would follow in planting any other trees, and one of the most attractive streets I know is now in the city of Grand Rapids; it used to be in the country when I lived there years ago; but along the sides of that street there are native trees, mostly burr oaks, and they have grown just as nature planted them. There will be a group of two or three, then a space, may be a single tree, then there may be a group of five or six; and that natural arrangement is really beautiful, to me far more beautiful than a straight row of trees, uniform spaced. On that same street sixty or seventy years ago my uncle planted where there were no trees—it is a continuation of this street—rows of sugar maples, and they grew and finally made splendid trees, and a great storm came along and broke down two or three, and that was a source of great regret to my uncle; but his son thinks, perhaps, it was a good thing, because it opened a beautiful view out into the country. Now by grouping trees we can save beautiful views. If we plant uniformly, we get monotony. With this belt of burr oaks spaced as I have described, you have variety on your sky line. Some trees are a little farther up than others and catch the sunlight, and we get shade and light. That is the way I should plant nut trees. If I were planting black walnuts or butternuts I would group them, but see that the tree has in some directions space enough to develop as far as it wishes.
Mr. C. A. Reed: Mr. Simonds is about to go. That is the reason I precipitated this question at this point. It was asked with reference to the law which these gentlemen, sitting at my right here, were responsible in putting through in the legislature of this State—provision for planting food trees along the highways; and it may be before Mr. Simonds goes, they have something further to ask.
President Reed: These questions are very important to draw out information. Is there anything else you wish to ask before we leave this topic? If not, we will call on C. A. Reed to present his paper next. It was carried over from last night, I believe.