16 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



We must ask our Legislature to pass a law to protect people from 

 injury by the adulteration of food, including fluids for food and medicine. 

 Other countries are in this respect careful of the health of the people, 

 while here there is no protection against this class of wrongs, and it has 

 now come to be a crying evil that must command attention. 



We must also ask that all articles of a dry nature be sold by weighj 

 instead of measure. This should apply to berries, eggs, and all products 

 that are not really fluid. 



The voting on the merits of our fruits has often had a tendency to 

 mislead, and we should give weight to the experience of good cultivators, 

 rather than to the votes of less-informed persons. 



The experimental orchard of the Industrial University should now, 

 to a large extent, take the place of individual effort, and its lessons should 

 be of practical value. The orchardist, Mr. Vickroy, has the fullest con- 

 fidence of this Society, and it is to be ho]")ed that he will be retained in 

 its charge. An application should be made to the Trustees for the free 

 distribution of cions of such varieties as may prove of value, or give 

 promise of such, in order to a wider test in all parts of the State. Such 

 distribution should be to orchardists rather than to nurserymen. This 

 experimental orchard was created at the expense of the State, and 

 it should be used to further advance the value of the orchards of the 

 State. 



Forestry is making fair progress, and trees of a commercial value are 

 being planted. At the head of this list is the European Larch, for ties, 

 fence-posts, and similar uses ; the Osage-Orange (in all the south half of 

 the State), the Ash, Maples, Elm, Hickory, Walnut, and Willow. In 

 the south part of the State the Osage is, perhaps, the most valuable for 

 general use, and must take its place at the head of the list for supplies of 

 wagon -timber. 



It is now well understood that Osage hedges must be plashed at from 

 six to eight years old, and afterward be kept in check by the shears. 

 The simple cutting back and the let alone plans have not been a success. 



The railroads have begun to appreciate the value of horticultural 

 products as a feature in their earnings, and have given the subject of 

 freights and handling more attention, in order to foster this department 

 of their business ; and yet there is room for further improvement. 



Until fruit is sold by weight we shall make little progress in fruit 

 packages. At present the study is to sell the least for the most money, 

 and not how we may ship the most for the least money. Barrels, boxes 

 and baskets are of an uncertain measure, and are sold by guess rather 

 than by measure or by weight. The buyer says: " I guess that barrel 

 holds two and a half bushels, and the other one three bushels." Weigh- 

 ing would cheapen the cost of the package, and lessen the freight, and be 

 an advantage to both buyer and seller, and leave less opportunity for 

 false returns of the commission men. 



Your attention has been called to some of these subjects before ; but 

 they continue to press on our attention, and will do so until they shall 

 be fully met and provided for. 



