STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 16 



Mr. Hunt, and others, still objected to Mr. Wier's theory ; when 

 Mr. Wier grew eloquent, and declared his readiness to show his faith by 

 his works. I will take, he said, 400 trees, if any man will furnish them, 

 and take off the bark all around for six inches up ; and I will agree to 

 plant and grow them all, without failure, or I will forfeit $1,000, which 

 shall go into the treasury of the Illinois Horticultural Society. 



Mr. Minkler (of Oswego) — I will furnish the trees. [Laughter.] 



Mr. Hill (of Galesburg) — I do not doubt that trees barked in this 

 manner may be saved, if taken in time. But the injury is serious and 

 should be prevented. 



Mr. Minkler said that he remembered the winter of two years ago, 

 when the rabbits were unusually plenty. He quoted Rob Douglass, of 

 Waukegan, as saying, " He never saw anything like it." That winter the 

 ordinary methods to prevent depredations were insufficient ; and, after 

 trying to trap them, and to destroy them in various ways, he finally offered 

 so much a head for rabbits, and the boys with their guns effectually 

 cleaned them out. 



Mr. Wier — If you want a remedy I will give you one ; that is, give 

 the rabbits something to eat that they like better than they do apple tree 

 bark. My orchard is surrounded by brush. I go down into the branch, 

 and cut down red oak brush and trees. The rabbits are very much more 

 fond of red oak and sumach than they are of apple tree bark, and will 

 take to this and leave the orchard. This, in my experience, is a sure pre- 

 vention. I do not think I have ever lost a half dozen trees by the rabbits 

 in a dozen years. 



Mr. McWhorter — Have you noticed whether they love the red oak 

 better than the scarlet oak ? 



Mr. Wier — What I call red oak you call scarlet oak. 



