TRANSACTIONS (IF ALTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 319 



JANUARY MEETIN(;, 1876. 



The January meeting of this Society was held at the ofifiice of Captain 

 E. HoLi.iSTER, in Alton. It was the annual meeting for the election of 

 officers, and other business, which cut short the discussions. The attend- 

 ance was fair, and a good impetus was given to the work of the year. 



Letters were read from Prof Riley, Hon. W. C. Flagg, and others, 

 promising to be present during the year, and present papers suited to the 

 occasion. 



The condition of fruit-buds was briefl\- discussed by Messrs. Long, 

 Stewart, Williams, J. E. Starr, and others. All concurred that, owing 

 to the two weeks' warm weather just passed, possibly the peach buds 

 had swollen so as to endanger the crop, should severe cold weather ensue. 



Mr. Hu(;<;ins said he had never known the apple crop seriously dam- 

 aged in the winter months, and he inquired if any gentleman present had 

 ever known sue h a thing as apple-tree buds being killed in the winter. 



Dr. Long said he had never known serious injury done to the apple 

 in winter. When the apple tree is in blossom, then is the danger. It is 

 then the frost cuts off the crop. 



Mr. Hollister^ — T had a letter from Cairo, which said that roses had 

 started. 



Mr. Starr — I had a letter from Mr. Galusha, at Normal. He says 

 the buds of the soft maple are very much swollen. * 



Now is the time to select your seeds and plants, and not leave 

 the matter till \ou are ready for work in the spring. Send in your 

 orders early. Planting of trees and bulbs may be done even now, and it 

 is well to do it now. 



Mr. McPike — Not only well to do it now, but there are plants and 

 bulbs that you must plant now, if not before attended to. It is even late 

 to make some plantings. It would have been better if it had been 

 attended to in the fall. But make no delay — plant at once those bushes 

 and plants that are hardy and earliest to start in the spring. The goose- 

 berry and currant are plants that should go out early. Bulbous roots, 

 such as the peonies — it is even late now to plant them. 1 advise the 

 planting of evergreens early — even with the ground frozen. \i taken up 

 with a frozen ball of earth, so much the better. February is a good month 

 in which to move evergreens ; they become established and ready to grow 

 at the first breath of spring. 



