VALLEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 315 



OCTOBER MEETING. 



Notwitlistancliii'^ the IHtli of October wus a cold, disajjreeuble 

 day, and a drizzling rain continued to fall at frequent intervals, quite 

 a number of prominent horticulturists assembled at the handsome 

 residence of Wm. Cooper, located two miles northwest of the village 

 of Bourbonnais. on one of the finest and best cultivated farms^ in 

 Kankakee county. 



At a few minutes past twelve dinner was announced and heartily 

 ])artaken of. it being excellently served by Mrs. Cooper and other 

 lady members of the Society! 



After dinner the meeting was called to order by first Vice Pres- 

 ident Elias Powell. Len. Small, one of the committee appointed to 

 revise the constitution and by-laws, submitted a partial report. 

 After some discussion, on motion of W. Cooper the whole matter 

 was laid over until the Xoveniber meeting. 



Finance Committee, 0. W. Barnard, chairman, reported that 

 Major <'. Williams and Slocuni AVilber had paid their membership 

 fees, aiul that our Society was awarded the i)remium of $27) at the 

 fair last month of the County Agricultural Board, for the l)est col- 

 lection of horticnltural ]»roducts exliilnted by any society. 



\\ ni. <'o()per was called upon, and asked how the a])ple crop had 

 been. He responded that the a])ple crop with him had lieeii rathei- 

 light during the post season. He enumerated some variettes that are 

 doing well, while others that are considered standard are doing 

 nothing. Mr. Cooper said: '" [n coming home from the west we rode 

 through Missouri and Iowa in the daytime. 1 noticed that very few 

 of the orchards looked well; in .-ome ol' them two-thirds of the trees 

 were dead. The trees in Kansas are beginning to show their age."' 



A. \j. Miner In traveling i'oi- a i'ew weeks [)ast a little north 

 of here, I observed that the orchards planted on high lands are thrif- 

 ty and looking finely. 



^rajor<'. Williams told of trees set (Ui sandy soil that had done 

 W(dl. Milam a]tideshave lieeii short lived with him. 



