214 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



President Flagg requested Mr. Ellswortli to give his views as to what 

 laws should be passed by our Legislature to encourage tree planting. 



Mr. Ellsworth replied that he would favor offering a premium for 

 the planting of forest trees. The money expended by the State for this 

 purpose would be many times returned in the increased amount of rev- 

 enue that would indirectly flow back into the treasury from the benefits 

 of the trees. 



Mr. Shepherd mought that the object could be better accomplished 

 by aiding such Societies as ours sufficiently to enable them to publish 

 large editions of their transactions for gratuitous distribution. This would 

 enlighten the people upon the subject. , 



President Flagg thought that a small bounty — say a half cent for 

 each hard-wood tree planted, provided a sufficient number planted to 

 produce any valuable results, would be sufficient to offer, and that the 

 offering such bounties would be a proper course. He would have the 

 count)% in which the trees stood, pay the bounty. 



Mr. Ellsworth agreed to this. The influence of our reports and our 

 examples are good in this direction to direct the way, but it is " money 

 that makes the mare go." The State can well aflbrd to pay a bounty to 

 encourage tree planting. 



He moved that the Committee appointed by the supplementary 

 report of Judge Brown, be instructed to report a bill to the President of 

 the Society for presentation to the Legislature, at its next session, to 

 encourage tree planting; wHich was agreed to. 



Mr. Hale moved that an additional member of the Ad Interim 

 Committee be appointed, whose duty it shall be to report upon the 

 special subjects of Ornamental and Landscape Gardening. 



The motion was sustained, and the Executive Committee soon there- 

 after announced T. J. Hale, of Galesburg, as such member. 



Mr. Ellsworth said that the members of this Society have been 

 pretty well drilled in the so-called practical departments of Horticulture, 

 and he now wished to see more attention paid to the ornamental part of 

 our art. 



Prof. Turner said that we, of necessity have been engaged upon 

 these rudimental portions of our art. We have been making the bones 

 and the muscle, the general structure of our Society, and now we should 

 put on the feathers — let us now begin to adorn it. 



Mr. Ellsworth — In our grounds we have always more or less of 

 flowers. Nothing brightens the eyes of children more than the sight of 

 beautiful flow^ers. Every autumn, at the approach of frost, we allow the 

 children to pick freely. This practice tends to increase their interest in 

 flowers. 



Mr. Hale thought that the ladies would attend, and take part rn 

 our discussions upon flowers, if we were to give the topic of floriculture 

 a place in our proceedings. 



He oflercd the following resolution, which was adopted : 



