3o8 



ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



race was young, and primeval and prehistoric man lived in his rude caves, 

 the apples and fruitage of the earth were small, hard and sour. Now we 

 have the Golden Russet and Bellflower, the melting pear and the 

 delicious peach. I know of but one better index of a grand development. 

 From the wild, half-animal shrieks of savagery and barbarism, up to the 

 divine sweetness of a great /;7>//fZ donna, and the power and fire of a god- 

 like eloquence, the wonderful history of articulate sound would portray 

 the grand development of Humanity. 



In the flowering and fruitage of our ripening civilization this won- 

 derful development of the human voice points out no better advancement 

 in civilization than does the improved fruitage of the earth under the 

 hand of cultivation. One is progress itself; the other keeps pace with it 

 in even step. (Applause.) 



THANKS. 



At the close of the address Mr. Galusha said : Mr. President, we 

 are under great obligations to Mr. Shaw for coming here and reciting 

 before us these interesting and instructive chapters from the Great Book 

 of Nature, of which he has evidently been an earnest and painstaking 

 student. I move a vote of thanks by rising. 



The entire Society and audience rose as the President called for the 

 vote. 



The Society then adjourned till to-morrow morning. 



THIRD DAY— MORNING. 



Order was called by the President at half-past nine o'clock on 

 Thursday morning. 



Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Gibson, of Marengo ; and then the 

 regular programme of business resumed. 



REPORTS UPON PLUMS. 



The following Reports from the Committee on Plums were read by 

 the Secretary : 



D. B. WiER, of Lacon, writes : 



Newman's plum. 



I have had this valuable Plum in fruit five successive seasons without 

 a failure of a good crop. I am confident that these crops were not 

 accidental, as it withstands the plum-curculio better than any variety 

 planted here. I received the trees from the Hon. P. G. Berkmanns, of 

 Georgia. It is a typical variety of the Chickasaw ( Prunus chicasa), a 



