STATE HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. loo 



pursue the line marked out by them, and would answer such questions as 

 ihey might desire, can you not see that their expenses would be saved, 

 and further than that, it would educate a corps of observers, and it would 

 be done much more rapidly than now ? 



Mr. McWhorter — There is one little difficulty which seems to arise, 

 it would be very difficult for the State Geologist to find individuals all 

 over the State on whom he could rely with any confidence whatever, to 

 report to him what were the characters of certain rocks so as to enable 

 him to determine to which family they belong. It is true he might hunt 

 out individuals who would forward to him valuable information ; but 

 there is so much to be known about the rocks in their own character, and 

 in their relations to other rocks ; and to a certain extent the same may be 

 said of fossils — that it would be difficult to find men who could give the 

 required information. 



Mr. Greene — That resolution is presented under the idea that the 

 State Geologist is not the only man having information or knowledge of 

 his subject; that the State Entomologist is not the only man having 

 knowledge oi his subject. If that were so, does it not appear that these 

 officers would have no constituency to appeal to, and who would appreci- 

 ate their work? I am not willing to admit that they embody all the 

 knowledge in reference to the sciences they have charge of. They may 

 not find experts in these particular sciences, but in this way collect much 

 information that may be useful to them. 



It is to establish such a system of correspondence as that that these 

 resolutions are intended. We underrate our ability when we trust any 

 man or set of men to do all our thinking and all our observing. Let us 

 bring out all our information of the State and concentrate it, and not be 

 years in gathering information which can be gathered in a month. I do 

 not suppose that it is going to supply all the information and answer all 

 the purposes of any one of these gentlemen ; it is simply to assist them in 

 bringing together such general facts as are necessary for them to form 

 conclusions. If you have a local society of fifty or twenty-five men, don't 

 you encourage among them the inculcation of these sciences when you 

 give them questions that they can work to? Now there is many a man 

 who observes, almost every day, little things of real importance, that he 

 never has an idea will be of any use to the State Geologist or Entomolo- 

 gist, but which, if reported to these officers, will be of great benefit. 



Mr. McWhorter — I am satisfied the resolution embodies the right 

 principle, and I admit that some useful information could be obtained 



