132 TRANSACTION'S OF THE ILLINOIS 



place, except the blue jay. But I found afterwards that the blue 

 jay, if saved, drove all the other birds away. 



Kingsbury — The bird question is one of locality. I hired two 

 boys and kept them shooting from sunrise to sunset, on 1J acres and 

 found it a good investment. The Oriole was the worst, and the 

 steel blue bird, that Dr. Spaulding mentions, next. 



Adjourned till evening. 



THIRD DAY — EVENING SESSION. 



Dr. Hull's motion was carried. 



Mr. Pettingill offered the following resolution : 



Resolved, That our legislature be requested to so amend the law prohibiting the des- 

 truction of certain birds, as to allow any person to kill the birds named, upon his own 

 premises. 



Carried. 



FLOWERS. 



An essay on flowers by Mrs. E. S. Hull, was read by Wm. E. 

 Smith of Alton. 



The increasing fondness for and attention to the beautiful, visible about our country 

 homes, is a pleasing and hopeful indication. Hopeful, because it shows our people are 

 taking time to enjoy something of this bright world of ours, instead of seeming to con- 

 sider, and almost making it a valley of humiliation and incessant toil. 



Time was when most men appeared to regard " the West," as a temporary sojourn, 

 in which they were to make fortunes, and then return to the old homo toward the 

 rising sun to spend and enjoy. But, I think the gold they acquired was, to many, the 

 true Lotus flower, which the ancients tell us, if once tasted of caused forgctfulncss of 

 former country and love for the one where they were. 



They who only came to stay awhile found the "land pleasant to dwell in." The cabin 

 gave way to the more substantial dwelling. Year by year new comforts were added. 

 The necessary potato patch, generally in front of the house, expanded into a vegetable 

 garden. From time to time the good wife appropriated small portions of this for her 

 hollyhocks and lilacs. By-and-by new flowers were planted, and the beautiful 

 encroached so rapidly on the useful, that the latter was finally banished to the rear, 

 where, ins'ead of receiving less, it received more attention than formerly, that all 

 things might be in keeping. 



And now the family have a flower garden! A small thing, you will say perhaps. 

 Will never contribute to the support of the family, says the practical man. 



Possibly not in dollars and cents, but man does not live by bread alone. A little 

 pleasure is needed sometimes to revive weary, drooping nature ; and who shall number 

 the many innocent joys our garden shall afford? Not a garden made classical with 

 6tatues and rare works of art, delighting in secluded walls, cool grotos, or sparkling 



