TRANSACTIONS OF NORTHERN ILL. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 293 



from locomotives will not set the leaves on fire, as they will those of other 

 trees. Has tried Yellow Willow for fence, but some of the trees died out 

 when cut off, as spoken of by Mr. Powell. 



Mr. WiER — The only objection I know to tlie larches for live posts 

 is that they will not survive continual cutting off; we don't want tall 

 trees for fences. 



Here ensued quite a lengthy discussion upon the cpiaiities of the 

 European Larch. Several ineml)ers attested to tlie fact that young trees, 

 before they had formed heart-wood, were no more durable for grape 

 stakes, etc., than other varieties of durable timber ; they had rotted off in 

 five years or less. Is was admitted on all hands, however, that the heart- 

 wood of the European Larch, grown on dry land, is as durable for posts 

 or railroad ties as any known wood ; the only serious objection raised was 

 that it was not valuable for t'uel, it being difficult to induce it to burn. 



In answer to a question of the success of cultivating Black Walnuts 

 upon high prairies, Mr. McAfee said that he had examined a forest on 

 high prairie, planted sixteen or seventeen years ago, which showed growth 

 and bore a good crop of fruit. 



Mr. Wheeler had a plantation twenty-five years old — trees now 

 sixteen to eighteen inches in diameter; he had transplanted the trees at 

 one vear old with success. He regards the White Walnut as a very valu- 

 able tree; these trees, too, he had transi^lanted successfully at one year 

 old ; the first year they outgrew the Black Walnuts, but afterwards were 

 not as fast growers as trees of that variety. 



The President announced that the Society would then be favored 

 with the reading of an essay by Mrs. Hathaway, who came forward and 



read : 



OUR NATIVE FLORA. 



HV MRS. P. v. UADFAWAV. 



The Oak openings, as they appeared in the i)ioneer days of Northern 

 Illinois, were peculiar, and had a very characteristic vegetation. Even 

 sixteen years ago, in some places, they retained much of their i)ristine 

 beauty. The wide-armed Burr and White Oaks still dropped their leaves 

 and acorns on the spots where they had fallen for perhaps a century. In 

 May these open woodlands were aflame with the brilliant red of the 

 Painted Cup, or Indian Pink as the children call it, the gorgeous yellow 

 of the Alkanet was everywhere seen, and along the sides of the ravines 

 bloomed the fragrant American Cowslip, the Dodecatheon Media of the 

 botanist. This is one of our finest wild flowers, and I doubt if its near 

 English relative, which Shakspeare prai.ses, e.vcels it in beauty or sweet- 

 ness. Here, too, flourishes the handsome Phlox pihsa, occasionally 

 showing pure white blossoms in place of the usual re(l(lish-|)urple, an<l in 

 some secluded spots, the larger yellow and showy Lady's Slii)pers. The 

 wild Rose of June opened everywhere, the wild Orange-red Lily held up 

 its cups to the sun, and August and September gave their tribute of Asters 

 and Goldenrods. But these lovely children of the '^oil are passing away 



