ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 293 



THURSDAY EVENING. 



Mr. Robson addressed the meeting upon tlic influences adverse to the progress of 

 horticultural knowledge. Tlie principal reason that our children do not care to learn 

 horticulture, is that the lathers and mothers allow their children to grow up with their 

 eyes blind. They do not observe and know all the thousands of In-ight truths of 

 nature, and this is the fault of the parents in not drawing out the children's capaci- 

 ties. He contended fervently for the high calling ; labor is the highest liadge ol 

 honor. He described a normal school at Galena, under the charge of Prof. Werin, 

 which is carried on by a working teacher, who has made the school a great success by 

 teaching it to work horticulture, his pupils Ijcing adepts in budding, grafting, planting, 

 etc. Called attention to many of our native llora, which, which if brought from a 

 long distance, would attract attention, and bring large prices; urging the adoption of 

 many of them in our gardens. 



McWhorter— Endorsed the remarks of Mr II. contrasting the common farmers' 

 home with what might be with better care and attention. We should urge the cul- 

 tivation of more rural taste to make our homes attractive. 



Letter from Mr. Soulard— Has been a nurserymen in the West fiftv-ttve years, thirty- 

 five of this at Galena; the letter accompanied a history of the Soulard apple. 



Grafting— McAfee sliowed a small twig showing a method of grafting cherry and 

 plum. 



Neff— Have practiced that and found it successful— Budd, has practiced it, makes a 

 perfect union and rapid, would suggest that crown grafting of cherry is ecjually good 

 that way, practices the same with plum root grafting. 



Tear Grafting— Wier, called attention to his practice of grafting; grafted as apples, 

 planted the scion % of the depth in the ground and nuilched to nearly the top of the 

 graft, take up in fall, and bury the plant out in spring four or five inches deeper than 

 the previous year. 



