STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 07 



DELEGATES FROM OTHER SOCIETIES. 



Prof. H. H. McAfee, Vice-Pres't of the Iowa State Horticultural 

 Society, was present as a delegate from that Society. Also, Isaac Bald- 

 win, of Jacksonville, announced himself as a delegate from the Jackson- 

 ville Horticultural Society. 



Adjourned. 



WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. 



President Hammond called the meeting to order at two o'clock. 



REPORTS ON VEGETABLE GARDENING. 



E. C. Hatheway (of Ottawa) sent in the following excellent report 

 on Vegetable Gardening, which was read by H. D. Emery : 



To my Fellow Members of the State Horticultural Society : 



It has become my duty again to add my humble mite to the mass of 

 horticultural learning and information which has been elaborated from 

 the experiences of the past year, and although it may be but a trifle, it 

 certainly can be taken for the results of actual experience, divested of all 

 theory ; and experience, hard-earned and trusty, is what our people need 

 to-day ; for the lightning trains, upon the steel bands that now cross and 

 recross each other at close intervals all over our country, are bringing the 

 special products of one locality, at cheap rates, into close competition 

 with those of other localities, even at considerable distances. 



The subjects of soils, and their fitness for special products, have not 

 received tlie attention of gardeners to that extent which their importance 

 deserve. 



If the gardener has a variety of soils, then he may be able to culti- 

 vate a long list of vegetables successfully; but if, as in the majority of 

 cases, he has but a small patch, consisting of one variety of soil, then it 

 becomes him to consider what will do best upon that particular kind of 

 soil. For instance, the soil of my home place consists of an alluvial drift, 

 very rich, lying high above the Illinois river. It is sufficiently sandy to 

 be very friable. I devote about one acre of it annually to radish, which 

 is sown as soon as the frost is out in the spring. I never realize less 

 than from $500 to $800 from it each year; while a number of garden- 

 ers a half mile distant from me, on flat and equally as rich land, with a 

 slight admixture of clay, not naturally and so situated that it would be 

 difficult to tile drain it, jealous of my success, plant each year a lot of 

 radish, but if they have any crop at all, so worthless that it brings them 

 little or nothing in market ; and assure them as I may to the contrary, 

 yet they still believe that I have some secret method of preparing the seed 



