STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 25 



A. M. Brown moved that the President appoint Committees on 

 President's Address; Auditing; on Fniits; on Wines, and on Final Reso- 

 lutions. The motion prevailed, and President Flagg announced the 

 following named gentlemen as members of the respectively named com- 

 mittees: 



Presidents Address. — A. M. Brown, T. Mc Whorter, E. Daggy. 



Auditing Committee., — S. G. Minkler, L. Ellsworth, H.J. Hyde. 



pruits, — J. A. Warder, A. Bryant, A. G. Himiphrey. 



Final Resohctions. — H. D. Emery, P. R. Wright, H. Vickroy. 



On motion, the Reports of Secretaiy and Treasurer were referred to 

 the Auditing Committee. 



The hours of meeting were fixed at 9 A. M., 2 P. M,, and 7 P. M. 



The Reports of Vice-Presidents being next in order, Mr. Daggy 

 moved that these be referred, without reading, to the Secretary, for pub- 

 lication. This motion, not being favorably received, was withdrawn by 

 the mover. Vice-President L. Woodward, of the First District, then 

 presented his report, which, at his request, was read by Assistant Secre- 

 tary Dunlap. 



REPORT OF THE FIRST HORTICULTURAL DISTRICT. 



Mr. President and Brethren : I will endeavor to make my report 

 short, but will try to give a brief synopsis of Horticulture in my district. 



There is, perhaps, about one third of our district that is a timber soil 

 which has a mixture of clay, sand and gravel, with more or less limestone. 

 In some parts, more especially on the higher points of land, are found 

 boulders of gi-anite, sandstone, etc. The balance prairie, with a surface 

 soil of black sandy loam; the northern part has mostly a gravelly subsoil, 

 while the eastern and southern parts are clay subsoil. 



In our locality, at Marengo and vicinity, the fruit crop was cut ofl'this 

 season. The cause we attribute to the severe freeze in October, 1S69, 

 and the dry condition of the soil at the time, while the eastern and south- 

 ern parts were blessed with good crops of fruit, more especially along 

 Fox River below Elgin, and in De Kalb County, and at other points; 

 the clay subsoil being better adapted to fruit, especially the apple, pear, 

 and plum. 



The small fruits failed to ripen, in consequence of the severe drouth 

 during the months of May, June, and July, although some of our most 

 thorough cultivators succeeded in ripening a goodly portion of their crops 

 of strawberries, raspberries, and grapes. Among these were Messrs. 

 Thos. Ford & Son, James Crow of Crystal Lake, and others in our 

 vicinity, while a larger part of the general crop dried on the vines and 

 bushes, before fully ripe. The nurserymen and growers of small fruits 

 at Marengo, succeeded in a fair growth of trees, vines, shrubbcr}-, etc., 

 by continuous cultivation during the dry and extremely hot weather. 



The greater part of our seedlings are grown on new ground, in our 



