296 TRANSACTIONS OK THE KANKAKEE 



its be<^"imiiiii;- from the time when conservatories were first con- 

 structed. This occTirred early in the eighteenth century. Then 

 followed the progress attained l)y educating young persons for the 

 especial occupation of gardening. The next great and effective 

 agency in pronu:)ting horticulture has been the formation of the 

 various societies throughout this country and Great Britain. These 

 societies date their origin from the beginning of the present century, 

 and owe their beginning to the establishment of the London society 

 through the influence of Mr. Knight. Mr. Wedgewood, and Sir 

 Joseph Banks. 



The outgrowth of this and other societies which soon sprang up 

 in Germany and other countries, has been the formation of experi- 

 mental conservatories, and the organizatioii of societies devoted to 

 especial departments of horticulture, such as the pomological, flori- 

 culture, forestry, etc. Not the least result in importance has been 

 the very large and vtduable literature that has been produced. 



It is true that long centuries before the formation of these 

 societies some works had been Avritten. noticeable among which may 

 be mentioned Robert Evelyn's '^Sylva. or a Discourse on Forest 

 Trees," written at the request of the Royal Society, in 1664, because 

 tlie naval commissioner feared ship timber would become scarce. 

 Many English land owners were influenced by this work to plant 

 young oaks, which furnished the navy yards of the next century. 



This example of tree planting should, perhaps, be imitated b}^ 

 owners of the prairies, if not for the sake of the future navy yards, 

 for the sake of the lumber yards as well as for protection and orna- 

 mentation. 



But since the formation of horticultural societies there has been 

 a large accumulation of works upon general subjects, including the 

 instructive, entertaining and humorous, and while England has large 

 works far superior, the United States is not surpassed in the excel- 

 lence of the smaller works upon the various departments of horti- 

 culture. 



It is often claimed that the civilization of a country may be 

 determined by knowing the amount of iron used. May it not as 

 well be said that the stage of progress a people have attained can be 

 ascertained by consulting their advancement in horticulture. 



Bacon, in speaking of a garden, says: "It is the greatest refresh- 

 ment to the spirits of man: without which buildings and palaces are 

 but gross handiworks, and a man shall ever see, that, when ages grow 

 to civility and elegancy, men come to build stately sooner than to 

 garden finely; as if gardening were the greater perfection." There 

 is an inspiration in simply reading a description of his ideal garden, 

 or rather gardens, for he would have one for each month in the year, 

 in which " severally things of beauty may be then in season." 

 While Bacon in speaking of what he calls " princely gardens," con- 

 sisting of thirty acres, in which, in its season, he would have every- 



