ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 251 



FIRST DAY— MORNI^iG SESSION. 



The third auiiual meeting of this Society convened in the Court House in this city 

 this morning. A. Bryant, Jr., Vice President, presided. D. Wilmott Scott, of 

 Galena, Secretary. The session was opened with prayer by Rev. Mr. Sickles, of 



Dixon. 



Maj. J. T. Cheney welcomed the members of the Society to the hospitality of the 

 citizens of Dixon, in a Itrief speech : 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME HY MAJ. JNO. T. CUENEY. 



Mr. Presilent and Gentlemen, Members of the Northern Illinois Horticultural Society : 



The very pleasant duty of welcoming you to tlie hospitalities of our city has been assigned to me ; 

 not because I am a practical horticulturist, nor because I can say to you beautiful words, smoothly 

 spoken: but this I can and do say to you. Welcome! thrice welcome! to our city : and you will at 

 least find in the band of horticulturists in Lee county, not only a little, but very much, of the love 

 for the beautiful in nature, as seen in the field and garden. 



Your work is a work of love; and if every man can be induced to plant a tree, under the shadow of 

 which he and his children may sit. who shall say that numy a home that might otlierwise be blasted, 

 by the recklessness of a'.cliild, shall not be made a solace for our riper years? 



"We are performing no irksome duty when we ask you to accept the hospitalities of our city; but, 

 on the contrary, feel that we will each and all be benefited by a mulual interchange of courtesies. 



We would liave you think kindly of us and our city, and we trust that our intercourse and deliber- 

 ations will be such tliat we may with pleasure revert to the third annual meeting of the Illinois 

 Horticultural Society, holdeu in Dixon. 



Again, Mr. President and gentlemen, I offer you a sincere, lieiu-ty, and cordial welcome. 



The Vice President in behalf of the members returned thanks for the kindness ex- 

 tended, and begged the indulgence of the members for any short-comings of his own. 

 The President, Mr. J. W. Cochran, of Blue Island, has been confined to a bed of sick- 

 ness for a long time, and he had been unexpectedly called upon to preside in his 

 place. 



The first business in order was the Vice President's address, which was short and 

 to the point. Much stress was laid upon the need of planting more timber trees upon 

 the prairies, both for use and ornamentation . The importance to fruit-growers having 

 a knowledge of geology, so as to be able to determine the most suitable soil for their 

 business was also alhided to. 



Gentlemen of the Northern Illinois Horticultural Society: 



On account of the illness of onr worthy President, iiuitc unexpectedly to me, I have been called 

 upon to perform the duties of the presiding officer. It is with a good deal of embarassmeut that I 

 appear before you, as the position is one entirely new to me. I must beg your kindest indulgence in 

 mj' attempt to perform the duties devolving on me. 



"We have assembled to hold our third annual reunion. The good citizens of Dixon have invited 

 and welcomed us to their hospitalities. Grateful for these kindnesses: and thankful to a kind 

 Providence for tlie many blessings we have received during the past year, we enter on our labors 

 with renewed energy and zeal Here we have an opportunity to meet old friends and fellow- 

 laborers in the good cause, to form new accpiaintauces, and enjoy that fellowship and good feeling 

 that constitutes one of tlie principal benefits of such gathei-ings. 



This society was organized for the purpose of studying into the necessities of horticulture in the 

 northern part of the State, to assist in developing its resources, and to learn how to put forth our 

 energies and labor to accomplish the greatest amount of good. Our State extends over so large an 



