72 TRANSACTIONS (»F TlIK II-LTNOIS 



The years rolled on ; the fruits so hopefully planted, so carefully 

 watched and tended, came one by one into bearing ; but, alas, the end 

 was not yet ; hopes were blighted and the promised harvest was not. 

 Insects preyed upon his fruits, and diseases destroyed or threatened the 

 life of his trees. Dr. Hull was not cast down nor discouraged : every 

 new enemy that appeared, every misfortune that beset him, called for 

 new means of destruction and developed his untiring energy in efforts 

 to subdue them. He resolved to succeed, and through this resolve he 

 obtained that thorough, practical knowledge of tree, plant and vegetable 

 diseases, and habits of insect life, which in later years made him an author- 

 ity on such subjects. 



In the pursuit and destruction of insects, the Curculio in particular, 

 he was eminently successful. His attention was early called to the use of 

 the sheet for the purpose of catching this insect, but the slow process of 

 carrying and spreading from tree to tree he found to be impracticable 

 when applied to large numbers of trees, and his ingenuity (with which he 

 was largely endowed) brought out the " wheelbarrow inverted umbrella," 

 which for years was in his hands a most efficient instrument. 



This was a step in the right direction, but it had serious objections ; 

 it was too cumbersome and unwieldy, and its use was found to injure the 

 trees. He therefore, ever seeking to lesson labor and make more efficient 

 the means by which to reach insect enemies, constructed and was per- 

 suaded to patent a " curculio catcher," a light and efficient apparatus, 

 which was a complete success. 



In his efforts to discover the cause oi pear blight, he was convinced 

 by deep study of the subject, and for reasons which he has made familiar 

 to you all, to try root-pruning. Here he found the remedy, and from 

 noticing the effect of such practice upon the pear, he was induced to 

 extend his operations until he came to believe that in a judicious use of 

 the system of root-pnming of fruit trees lay one of the great secrets of 

 success. He believed that the time would come when it would be found 

 an important aid and not to be set aside. 



In every thing pertaining to fruit culture he was an eager, earnest stu- 

 dent, and practically tested all schemes which gave promise of improvement. 

 From having felt, in his early trials and experience, the want of coun- 

 sel, he became the warm advocate and efficient promoter of horticultural 

 societies. To him more than any other belongs the honor of organizing 

 the Alton Horticultural Society. • He was also one of the few earnest 

 workers that met at Decatur and founded this Society, of whose interests 

 he was ever watchful and of its influence ever proud. 



His ripened experience, and intimate knowledge of insect life ; of 

 tree, plant, and vegetable growth ; his zeal and energy in the promotion 

 of horticultural knowledge, led this Society to select him for the impor- 

 tant position of State Horticulturist. In this capacity he visited and 

 lectured throughout the State ; boldly attacking false theories and prac- 

 tices, advocating and promoting the true. 



His contributions to horticultural literature were varied, and have 

 appeared in many of the leading horticultural journals in the East, and he 



