ILLINOIS IIORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 305 



Society. How to assist nature to coiitiuue her wonderful iirocess of cver-reiit'wing produofivoness, 

 and liow, witlial, to add gi'acc and beauty, cult\ire and development to rural life. You are to teach 

 the facts essentially useful ahout soils, seasons, crops, trees, vines, etc. You may scarcely dare 

 tell us what you think, simply, but you must teach us what you know. Experiment, and give the 

 peoi)le the result Innimed and pruned. A generation that regulates Its market reports by ocean 

 cable dispatches, and dry laud lightning flashes before breakfast, cau"t wait twenty years to eat the 

 fruit of its pear trees. It must at least have monthly berries, where U feeds Its mind with news 

 from three or four editions of d;iily papers; and it must engraft of all the good tilings of all the 

 nations, it invites to Its vast flelds or sees as it travels by steam, with the speed of the wind. A 

 part of tlie beautiful mission of this Society is to educate our people up to a higher standard of 

 ajiprecialion of the beautiful in nature; for a culture of taste must go hand in liaud witli utilitarian 

 knowledge. You will teach to combine the beautiful with the useful, as (Jod does in his ever- 

 recurring creations: teach the people to love the ornamental shrub, the tender plant, the happy 

 birds, the lovely flowers— those tender messengers of sentiment, those sweet poems of Heaven, 

 written on the earth by tlie white hands of angels from the bright land "where the lields are 

 eternally green." Teach us to love these graces of nature liecause the grace, freshness and beanly 

 of trees, shrubs, song-birds, and flowers, act on the minds, hearts and souls of the people for good, 

 and never for evil. Already have the people of IMattoon felt the g()o<l influences of your auxiliary 

 Society in this city, with increased interest felt in Ijcautifying our prairie homes; and its humble 

 exhiliitious have attbrded us some of our most enjoyable occasions. We hope the good work will 

 deepen here, and widen through your Society and sister ones of the State, until it pervades the 

 whole of the noble Garden State. 



Then, ladies and gentlemen of the Ocniral lllinuis Horticultm-al Society, as teachers and lal)orers 

 in this glorious Held, we greet you gUuUy, and welcome you to our young and growing city and our 

 homes, as Maftoon ever greets and delights to welcome a body of intelligent and cultivated ladies 

 and gentlemen. 



To the address of welcome, Mr. Daggy made the following response : 



Through your representative we have been welcomed to your city and the hospitality of your citi- 

 zens; and in accepting this compliment, I feel it due to our society to say tliat we do so in behalf of 

 the cause we represent— the great cause of Horticulture. It is because we appreciate your efforts in 

 this noble, health-giving and reflning branch of industry, which is so well adapted to all classes of 

 our people, that we have come among you. That we may have our faith strengthened to nerve ns up 

 to the warfare against the discom-agements to which we are subject, we need your counsel and expe- 

 rience and encouragement. And from the display I witnessed last June, in this hall, I can confl- 

 dently promise my feUow-members that much may be gained by an earnest effort to emulate the 

 noble example in the display of taste, skill and energy displayed on that occasion. Especially would 

 I call attention to the very laudable efforts of the ladies on that occasion, as indicating their great 

 interest in this subject: for without their co-operation and assistance in the race of life, we must 

 fail. AVe thant you most heartily for this most cordial welcome to your city and firesides. 



Fellow-members, we have received a formal, cordial welcome to the homes of our horticultural 

 friends of this city; and in accepting this invitation let us each feel that we should make ourselves 

 worthy of their confidence. This, gentlemen, is no ordinary courtesy, and should elevate us in 

 selt-respect to correspond with our chosen art of horticulture, in its broadest sense. As we asso- 

 ciate for a short time with our friends and their families, let ns all endeavor to leave an impression 

 for good, and thus give evidence that we appreciate this hospitality, and be the better prepared to 

 bestow on others such kindness as we have received, when we have returned to our homes. 



president's annual ADDRESS. 



Gentlemen and friends of the Central Illinois Horticultural Society: 



By an ever kind and beneficent Providence we have again been permitted to meet and greet each 

 other at the opening of this, our second annual meeting. 1 assume nothing but wluit the feelings of 

 my heart fully warrant, in saying that to me these greetings are pleasant beyond description: and, 

 indeed, if I were to allow my feelings to dictate, I might occupy the full time allotted nie in attempt- 

 ing to portray my emotions on this occasion. But while we all feel the cidtlvation of our social 

 faculties to be pleasant, as well as profitable, judgment indicates that our attention should be 

 directed to the transaction of business, as it is for this purpose we have met. 



A very brief review of our history as a society may be of sutficieut importance to demand a pass- 

 ing notice. Two years ago the Onarga Horticultural Society called a meeting at that place, which 

 convened on the 2Cth of February, 1S(J8. The result of that meeting was the organization of the 

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