PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING. 97 



ILLINOIS society's ANNUAL MEETING. 



The annual meeting of the Illinois State Horticultural society was held 

 in Springfield, December 12. It was the thirty-eighth annual meeting, so 

 you may see the society is our senior. The meeting was characterized by 

 intense interest, shown by all those present. In fact, each one seemed to 

 have come to give as well as take, and so the chairman did not have to call 

 out one speaker or another, for all were ready to speak. There were about 

 one hundred members present from around the state, nearly all parts 

 being represented, but the local attendance was very light. Three socie- 

 ties comprise the state organization, the northern, central, and southern. 

 The large exhibit of fruits was brought from the World's Fair, and was 

 from widely separated states. But it was too large, and was off by itself 

 where some did not see it. So it was not, as it should have been, an object 

 lesson. Meetings of the Illinois State Grange and the State Beekeepers' 

 society were being held at the same time, and members of the three organ- 

 izations seemed to be on terms of hearty friendship and in delightful 

 relations. The discussion upon peach culture was most interesting. It 

 was led by a Mr. Gould of the southern part of the state, and it bristled 

 with valuable facts. Culture is thorough there, and pruning is like our 

 own, done with view to shorten in the heads of the trees. Another paper 

 showed how a man grows grapes on sandy soil with asparagus between the 

 rows. I should 'think the closeness of the planting would increase the rot. 

 But the grapes were far apart and grown up high. The author of the 

 paper grows fine grapes, and it is done by a secret process, the use of some 

 fertilizer he does not mention. Another thing I noticed was that in that 

 state, where a lot of men are engaged in growing tremendous crops of 

 blackberries, the Taylor is not known. Home surroundings were discussed, 

 as to bringing horticulture about and into the homes. Many took part in 

 the discussion, and all commended the interesting of women and children in 

 horticulture; yet in the whole audience there was but one woman. We do 

 much better in this respect in Michigan. The secretary of the Illinois 

 society was concerned with the state's exhibit at the World's Fair, and 

 made of it a particularly complete report. Apples were sent to the exhibit 

 by the huudred barrels and grapes by the ton. Nothing was spared to 

 make the show complete, and it was indeed marvelous. I was impressed 

 with the idea that we should not be too awfully scientific at such meetings, 

 but be able there to learn what science can do to aid us. One paper 

 related to those fungi and lower forms of life which are injurious to fruits; 

 yet, after all, it has been shown that three fifths of such growths are beneficial. 

 There are a few points both for praise and criticism. Two hours of most 

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