STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 157 



work, and I have found them better farmers than they vvoukl have 

 been but for knowledge gained in the Society, and better farmers 

 than the average of their neighbors. 1 wish to add that we, as a 

 society, can do more in the way of securing reasonable rates of 

 freight and express charges, than if every one was compelled to hunt 

 by himself, — not that we have sought for special rates for our mem- 

 bers, but, by carefully estimating the crop and conferring with agents 

 better rates have been given to all, and the companies would better 

 prepare to do the work and thus avoid delay, when delay meant loss. 

 So much for the local Society, which I regard as the most important. 

 Now for the larger ones. 



State societies, like ours, collect results and preserve a record for 

 all. They can, and ought to, provide at our annual meetings, ad- 

 dresses and papers from specialists in the various fields of work, and 

 from scientific students, such itiformation as they alone can give. 

 Many problems in horticulture have now gone so far that ordinary 

 observation is useless, unless supplemented by the investigations of 

 scientific men. Such are the mysteries of "pear-blight," neither our 

 local or State society would allow discussion on this much-discussed 

 plague. We must listen to science, when she is ready to speak, and, 

 in the meantime, we will not let her forget us. Valuable results 

 have already been obtained, simply because we insisted upon answers. 

 Capable men have heeded our requests, when, in all probability, 

 without us, no Cjuestions would have been formulated, nor answers 

 given. State societies can, and should, help in perfecting our no- 

 menclature. It is the cause of loss every year that we yet have so 

 many synonyms for the same fruit. Thrifty nurserymen are thus 

 enabled, like the proverbial landlord, to furnish ram, lamb, sheep 

 and mutton from the same joint. Our State Society is able to keep 

 our matters prominently before the public, and thus secure the mod- 

 est amount of appropriation asked for by us. No local society 

 could do this. I will not omit the further benefit received, and ac- 

 knowledged, by all who attend our meetings, — that is, the forming 

 and maintaining of long and dear friendships among ourselves. 



FORESTRY. 

 BY MILD BARNARD, MANTEXO. 



Seeing nothing on the programme on the forestry question, I 

 will, at the risk of appearing presumptuous, endeavor to say a few- 

 words in the interest of a subject that I think should engage more 

 deeply the attention of the American people, and will take for a 

 text, or foundation, these words: ''And the leaves of the trees 

 were for the healing of the nation." Some of you, perhaps all, 

 know where to look for these words — in the last chapter of Revela- 

 tions, and part of the second verse. Although the words appear in 

 a description of the New Jerusalem, revealed to John, and is applied 



