154 TKAISISACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Mr. Freeman — I would say this : that it is necessary to do both — to 

 make it a branch of instruction in our State University, and embrace 

 the subject in the range of our investigation by consulting the results 

 obtained by individuals throughout the State. No doubt many who 

 do not now do it would take part in that labor if these materials 

 could be worked up into practical results. 



Mr. Pierson — Do these remarks about soils relate entirely to the 

 country below Centralia ? 



Mr. Freeman — What I have said will, in some respects, apply to 

 the whole State. 



Dr. Hull — Which one of these strata appears at Du Quoin ? 



Mr. Freeman — I suppose it to be No. 6. The white clay there 

 corresponds with that a little further north. The superimposed soil 

 there is too fine. 



Mr. Douglas — I would like to ask Mr. Freeman whether taking a 

 few inches of this black soil and spreading it over the local soil would 

 do any good ? 



Mr. Freeman — Where that No. 6 is the surface, the action of the 

 rains and the weather have washed away some of it, and it is gener- 

 ally found covered. It is also disseminated through the body of it. 

 It is an arenaceous clay. 



Mr. Douglas — Impregnated with lime ? 



Mr. Freeman — I do not know. I have not been able to analyze 

 it yet. 



Dr. Douglas — We use it on our low black soil. We cart it half a 

 mile and spread it over our black soil three inches in thickness. 



Mr. Freeman — As it appears at South Pass just above the railroad 

 bridge, the white clay is No. 6. I would suppose it would be beneficial, 

 for it has something of the nature of marl, from appearances. 



Mr. Earle, of the Committee on Pears, submitted the following 

 report : 



KEPORT OF PEAR COMMITTEE. 



Your Committee have been pleased to find a much larger collection of pears than 

 has been commonly seen at our meetings, and while they regret the poverty of our 



