We have many wild plums in Iowa, which vary in quality from good to worthless. Generally, plums that are soft when ripe, have thick and unpalatable skins and are worth but little, except for eating fresh from the trees. Some of the wild kinds, are not inferior to the best tame plums for canning, and but little skill would be necessary to improve them in size and in other respects, by cross-fertilizing the blossoms of the best kinds with pollen from the largest of the tame varieties.

The Corn Root-worm has done no small amount of damage in Iowa, during the past few years, though for the seasons of 1887 and 1888, its injuries have doubtless been less appreciated owing to the general prevalence of its better known and more generally destructive associate, the Chinch Bug.

Occasional reports, however, show that the territory invaded by it is gradually extending and, unless proper means are adopted there is danger of a very general destruction of our staple crop from its ravages.

In 1884 I published, in a college bulletin, an account of the insect, its habits, and the method to be adopted for its suppression, largely collated from the report of Prof. S. A. Forbes, of Illinois, where the insect had operated very destructively. Since that publication, I have observed the insect both here and in other parts of the state, but these observations only serve to confirm the conclusions already reached, and in the following statements I lay no claim to originality, but believe the importance of the insect to the farmers of the state, is sufficient to justify a restatement of the essential points in its history.

At the suggestion of the Director, with whom the idea originated, I have made a short study of apple twigs with the object of learning whether there exist, in mid-winter, any differences in composition between the new growth of those varieties of apple which are hardy and those which are non-hardy in the climate of Central and Northern Iowa.

Four varieties of twigs were studied, namely, Duchess of Oldenburg, Borovinca, Ben Davis and Boiken— the two first named being regarded as hardy and the two latter as non-hardy varieties. The twigs were taken from the trees, and the work done during January just passed. The Ben Davis twigs were from a single large tree*— the only one available— the Duchess from four large trees, the Boiken and Borovinca each from a number of nursery trees, three to five years from the graft; all were apparently well matured.

Cuttings of the following varieties were made from ripened wood during October, 1887, under direction of Prof Budd. They were cut uniformly about nine inches in length, and carefully planted, the method being as follows : The ground a heavy black loam was plowed and levelled; rows were then marked out 3¹/₂ feet apart, in each of which was run a subsoil plow to the depth of ten to thirteen inches. A garden line was then stretched over the first row, marking the line of trench which was quickly made with spades, leaving the side next the line nearly perpendicular against this side, the cuttings were laid three to five inches apart according to variety. The earth was then filled in gradually and carefully firmed, till the trench was level with the surface, leaving only the upper bud of each cutting in sight. They remained in this condition till November, when they were treated to a coating of coarse manure completely covering each row. This was removed the following spring, after which they received ordinary nursery cultivation.

With a view of increasing the present knowledge of the minute structure of the twigs, including buds, of various varieties of apple trees the investigations herein described were prosecuted during the months of December (1888), and January (1889). The twigs were either taken directly from trees growing near the College or from a cellar where they had been stored in late autumn. In some cases samples were ordered from other parts of the state and examined upon their arrival. Primarily the investigations were carried out to determine the conditions in which the various food-materials, formed by the trees were stored up for future use; and in the second place to find if there was any marked differences in the amounts and qualities of these reserve food substances or any other constant differences among the varieties subjected to microscopic examination.