306 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. McAfee also took the same ground as Mr. Douglas, his argu- 

 ments being much the same as those given at the late meeting of the State 

 Society at Champaign. [See pages 56-60.] He offered the following 

 resolution, moving its adoption by the Society : 



Resolved, That the position taken recently liy Mr. Meehan, of Pennsylvania, upon 

 the subject of forest influence upon climatology is untenable, and calculated to mislead 

 and discourage the great interests of forestry. 



Mr. Douglas supported the resolution, taking ground similar to that 

 taken by Mr. McAfee, Mr. Flagg and others, in the State Society's meet- 

 ing. He added that the gradual rise in the Great Salt Lake, which has 

 taken place since forests were planted in its vicinity, was not probably 

 owing to increased rain-fall in that region, but to the influence of the 

 forests in arresting evaporation, so that the rain filtered through the soil, 

 and thus increased the annual discharge into the lake. 



Mr. Bryant did not claim that the dryer atmosphere of this State, 

 as compared with that of a quarter of a century since, was due to a 

 diminished amount of rain-fall ; he explained that the rank vegetation of 

 former years prevented the drying of the soil, rendering evaporation more 

 slow and constant than now. The dews were then abundant ; now they 

 are light and inconstant. 



Mr. Foster gave some interesting testimony relating to this subject ; 

 among which was that of the observations of Judge Whiting, of Western 

 Iowa, which were to the effect that the value of artificial groves as wind- 

 breaks is quite important, giving it as his opinion that where one-fourth 

 of the surface is covered with timber, the three-fourths cultivated will 

 produce fully as much as when the whole is under cultivation ; this saving 

 he attributes to the diminished force of the winds when forests and fields 

 are interspersed. 



Several other gentlemen spoke to the resolution, whose remarks could 

 not be taken by the Secretary. 



The ayes and nays being called for on the resolution, it was 

 adopted ; forty-six voting aye, and six voting no. 



TIMBER AND ORNAMENTAL TREES. 



Mr. L. K. Scofield, from the standing committee on Ornamental 

 and Timber Trees, read a report, which he failed to leave with the Secre- 

 tary for publication. 



This paper opened a discussion upon the planting, transplanting and 

 growth of valuable trees for timber. 



Mr. Wier recommended the Osage Orange for a timber tree for the 

 southern portion of the district, the timber being as durable, and as valu- 

 able for wagon timber, etc., as any other sort. 



Mr. Douglas, in answer to a question, said that trees, if exposed to 

 the winds, usually make the most wood on the east side, owing to damage 

 to branches upon the west side by the winds, resulting in a greater de- 

 velopment of leaves and branches upon the east side ; the greater wood 



