56 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



President Galusha — I am very sure that many of the members 

 of the Society wish to visit the Normal University; what action will 

 you take? 



Dr. Small — I move we accept President Hewitt's invitation and 

 visit the University in a body. Motion carried. 



B. Gr. Roots — The exercises to-morrow evening will be very in- 

 teresting. The annual contest between the two societies will take 

 place. 



'& 



Report of Ad-Interim Committee for Central Illinois, C. N. 

 Dennis, Hamilton, and H. K. Vickroy, Normal, was called for, and 

 read: 



AD-INTERIM REPOET. 



In making this report I take up what I have seen during a very 

 busy season which at the time I considered worthy of note. In 

 June, hearijig that E. P. Humphrey, six miles southeast of Quincy, 

 had netted six hundred dollars from two acres of strawberries, I vis- 

 ited his patch, and found it on a ridge from which oak and hickory 

 had been cleared, with timber on west, south and east, open on the 

 north. The strawberries were of two years' growth, Crescent and 

 Downing inter-rowed, two Crescent^ one Downing, but had run 

 together, entirely covering the ground. The first blossoms were 

 killed by frost, so much so that two thousand boxes left over from 

 previous year were considered suflicient for the crop, but a neighbor 

 passing the grounds before ripening, said, "you are going to have a 

 good crop." Sent Mr. Humphrey to examine, and he found an im- 

 mense number of small berries, which, owing to favorable weather, 

 developed in to between three and four hundred dollars per acre 

 at from $1.50 to $2.00 per IG-quart crate. No extra labor or care 

 given in the premises. The same party has an additional acre 

 alongside the other to which he is giving good cultivation and con- 

 fining to rows. 



In October I visited Denmark, Iowa, and saw that veteran hor- 

 ticulturist, G. B. Brockett. I found apple trees very badly killed. 

 And here I want to ask a few questions. Did not, perhaps, the im- 

 mense crop of two years ago, followed by a very wet summer, caus- 

 ing a spongy growth, and a very imperfect leaf growth, which pre- 

 maturely dropped, and in some cases a second growth of leaf, which 

 necessarily was unripe, and this, with_ a late, warm fall, which was 

 followed by a very severe winter, was it not what might have been 

 expected, even with only a reasonably cold winter, that we 

 should find many dead and dying trees during the past summer? 



