STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 237 



gCKxl crops. I know of high and dry localities in our own city where 

 the crop the past season has been immense, but such are exceptions. 

 We would not exchange it for all the other plums ever planted in the 

 county, as one year's crop would pay more than \\e could ever hope to 

 realize from all others." A basket of this fruit, sent me by my friend 

 D. W. Scott, of Galena, came fully up to the recommendations of its 

 friends. 



Grapes. — Grapes are represented as a perfect success in all parts of 

 the district. Mr. Alex. Strachn gives an account of a great exhibition 

 held by the Rockford Horticultural Society. He says, " 7?<Jf^<:'/''5 Hy- 

 brids were well represented, and gained many admirers. They will 

 receive more attention. Dclaxvarc is rather losing ground ; lieing hard 

 to manage. Concord still holds its own, as does the Hartford Prolijic, 

 although tlic fruit of both cracked badlv in some localities. lona is work- 

 ing its way up. Ejimelan is promising. On the whole, our grape crop 

 is all that could be asked for. The market was well supplied, and the 

 growers complained of the price." 



Mr. Strachn strongly urges the forming of llt)rticultural Societies in 

 each county, auxiliary to the vState Society. The work accomi)lished by 

 the societies at Rockford and Galena are powerful arguments in favor of 

 their multiplication. 



The work which the Northwestern German-English Normal School 

 at Galena, is doing, under the management of Prof. J. Wernli, is second, 

 in our State, only to that of the Industrial University in atlvancing the 

 interests of Horticulture and a love of rural life. In a letter just received 

 from Prof, Wernli, in alluding to their local Horticultural Societv, he 

 says : 



" The old members of this Societv are men oi great experience, and 

 of real philanthropic views and actions. Mr. Robson worked last winter 

 with great zeal to enlighten the youth and the aged on the advantages of 

 horticulture, and other members assisted him. I am richl\- rewarded by 

 attending the meetings of the Society; adding to my knowledge on this 

 subject eveiy time. * * * * Our young men prefer the store and 

 the city and leave their fathers' homesteads. Whv ? !Many answer, 

 ' their parents do not make home attractive to them.' I ventin-e to say 

 their teachers and school-books make city life more attractive to them 

 than do their parents the farm. 



Do not, in most cases, our reading books give examples of success 111 

 life, illustrating the smart farmer becoming a merchant or a lawyer? Are 

 not the teachers, especially those educated in colleges and normal schools, 

 strangers to farm life.' and does not their city-like deportment betray 

 them.? I helieve that our Normal Schools should educate the teachers 

 more in accordance with the wants of the country. They should 

 study horticulture, natural history, botan\', and agriculture mdre; and 

 if they could be inspired A\ith love for the garden and the orchard, this 

 love would be transmitted to their pupils, and we might soon see the 

 effect in scientific farming, and in beautiful orchards. 



Agricultural Colleges will certainly be beneficial; but their useful- 



