TRANSACTIONS OF HORTICULTURAL SOt:lETy OF NORTHERN IliL. 303 



The fruit is large and pulpy, with an agreeable mixture of acid and sugar; 

 the canes bear heavy crops, though the color prevents a ready sale. 



Mr. Slade. — We should not make such distinctions, except for 

 berries to ship, for such berries will sell in our home markets upon their 

 merits. 



Mr. Galusha was called out on strawberries, but as his remarks were 

 substantially the same as his reports and discussions in the meeting of the 

 State Society, as found on pages 92 to 100, also 198 to 201, in this volume, 

 they are omitted here. 



The meeting adjourned to half-past seven. 



SECOND DAY— EVENING. 



The Society met at the appointed hour. 



The President named the following gentlemen as Committee on Final 

 Resolutions: James Crow, H. D. Emery and Arthur Bryant, Jr. 



Hon. James Shaw, of Mt. Carroll, was introduced by the President 

 as the lecturer for the evening. Mr. Shaw gave a very learned and able 

 extemporaneous address upon glacial action and the teachings of the rocks, 

 the boulders and the deposits, in explaining the origin and formation ot 

 the soils of Illinois. He closed this address as follows : 



THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE GRASSES AND THE TREES. 



Having now shown you the origin of our soils and surface deposits, 

 and the vast forces and agencies which moved, mingled and mixed them 

 together; having spoken of the surface of the country when left bare by 

 the receding waters, I wish now to present a resume of some views of 

 mine, published in one of the volumes of the Illinois Geological Reports, 

 as to the struggle for the possession of the land by the vegetation which 

 subsequently sprang up. 



Closely related to this subject of our surface geology — indeed it is a 

 part of it — comes this question of the origin and formation of the prai- 

 ries, and the struggle between the grass and the trees for their possession. 



This is the prairie State, and we of the Rock River country live in 

 its very garden. All the grades of prairie land may be found in most of 

 the counties, such as the high, upland prairies, the river bottom or allu- 

 vial prairie, and the low, wet savannas of the swamp lands. Why are 

 these prairies treeless? And has this fact any significance for the horticul- 

 turist and the tree agriculturist? 



Several causes have been assigned for this striking phenomenon. 



