STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 105 



The President announced as the Special Committee to examine the 

 collections of insects made by students at the Illinois Industrial Univer- 

 sity, and to adjudicate upon the prizes offered therefor by the Society, 

 j! Huggins, D. B. Wier. and K. Daggy. 



REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON METEOROLOGY. 

 Prof. J. H. Tice, a member of this Committee, sent his report to 

 the Secretary to be read. It is as follows : 



METEOROLOGY. 



Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society : 



At the request of your Secretary, I have prepared and present to your 

 Society a paper containing a few thoughts on the important and ever 

 interesting subject of Meteorology. 



Its intimate connection with, and controlling influence over the 

 happiness and welfare of our race, makes a knowledge of it a necessity. 

 Man's dependence for subsistence upon the products of the soil is abso- 

 lute. The soil, in a natural state, however, produces but sparsely the 

 necessaries of animal life, and those of the coarsest kind. But whatever 

 in the season of vegetation is spontaneously produced, must be gathered, 

 preserved and housed for supplying animal wants in the non-growing 

 season. Man and the domestic animals would be restricted within nar- 

 row limits on the globe, for not even all the belt covered by the torrid 

 zone would be habitable without this providence for the future. Articles 

 of prime necessity, namely, those serving for food, are very perishable, 

 must be gathered in season when mature, and in a favorable state of the 

 weather. Left exposed to the elements, either from negligence or want 

 of foresight, they soon deteriorate and decay, becoming unfit for animal 

 subsistence. This is generally true of the coarse, spontaneous products 

 of the soil ; but of the delicate and choice products of agriculture it is 

 absolutely true. These are man's nurslings, incessantly requiring his 

 tenderest care, most effective protection, and keenest foresight. He must 

 neither expose them while young and tender to the late frosts of spring, 

 nor when mature to the early frosts of autumn. In harvest time he must 

 conduct his operations so that rain and unfavorable weather come not 

 when he is unprepared, for in case they do, in a day the labors of a whole 

 year may be destroyed and lost. 



Nature never acts arbitrarily. She has her functions to perform as 

 well as man has his. He cannot control her, and it is not desirable that 

 he should. She must therefore control him, but he can be a co-worker 

 with her, and they can amicably and harmoniously work together in the 

 achievement of the same purpose and great end. But to do so he must 

 be in sympathy with her and have formed the mo.st intimate relations 

 with her, so that he can hear the very throbbings of her heart ; not only 

 comprehending her meaning, but able to interpret what she writes upon 

 the earth and on the sky for his information. In the operations of Na- 

 ture, as well as the affairs of men, "coming events cast their shadows 



