50 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



KEPORT OP DELEGATE TO THE WI8COX8IN STATE HORTI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



B\: J. V. COTTA, NUKSERY. 



Mr. President and Members of the 



IJlinois State Horticultural Society: 



Your delegate arrived at Madison in the forenoon of February 

 2d, 1886, and found the Wisconsin State Society assembled at the 

 Capitol Buildino^, with President J. M. Smith in the chair — it being 

 the second session of the meeting. The convention was well at- 

 tended, nearly all the leading horticulturists of the State being pres- 

 ent. The State of Iowa was represented by Messrs. Patten and 

 Watrous; Minnesota, by Messrs. Harris and T. M. Smith; and Kan- 

 sas, by Mr. VanDieraan, U. S. Pomologist of the Department of Ag- 

 riculture. 



The visiting delegates were greeted with a cordial welcome and 

 made honorary members of the society. 



The fruit exhibit was a very fine one, notwithstanding the 

 severity of the previous winter, and proved the fact that Wisconsin 

 possesses many localities where orchard culture has been successful. 

 The modifying influence of Lake Michigan, on the climate of the 

 lake shore region, extends more than twenty-five miles westward, 

 and the large number of wooded hills, throughout the state, offer 

 very many favorable orchard sites. The following varieties of apples 

 were represented in the exhibit: Alexander, Famuse, Golden Ji as- 

 set, Northern Spy, Tallman's Sweet, Utters, Wealthy, Westfield Seek- 

 No-Further, Willow Twig, Wolf River, Northwestern Greeuing, 

 Haas, Walbridge. Vandevere Pippin, Twenty Ounce, White Pi})i)in, 

 Norton's Mellow Blush, Detroit, Peck's Pleasant, Perry Russet, 

 Black Gilliflower, Clark's Orange, Allen Russet, Paradise, Belmont, 

 Bellflower, Hunt, Phoenix, Pennock, Lyman's Yellow and twelve 

 seedlings not yet named. The display of crab apples, pears and grapes 

 were also fine. The display of Russiau apples at the State Fair in 

 September, 1885, having been exceptionally fine, I had hoped to 

 find a goodly number of Russian winter apples at the meeting, but 

 on this point I found myself sadly disappointed. There were no 

 Russians in sight. 



The first business at the afternoon session was the election of 

 oificers for the ensuing year, which resulted as follows: J. M. Smith, 

 President; B. F. Adams, Vice President; H. C. Adams, Secretary; B. 

 S. Hoxie, Corresponding Secretary; M. Anderson, Treasurer; B. F. 

 Adams, Superintendent. The Executive Committee consists of one 

 member from each of the nine Congressional districts of the State. 



