§4 State Horticultural Society. 



lluwer, and where there is a parachse Uxlay there would be a desert or 

 something very much Hkc it. 



Why can we not have such paradise spots in Missouri? The true 

 Nature lover does not need grand scenery to be happy; Nature in its 

 undisturbed state is all he wants. He sees the wrong which has been 

 done to future generations through the destruction which is going on 

 everywhere. The axe and the gun, fire and the plow are laying waste 

 the broad land. You may look out of the car window for miles and 

 miles without seeing more than a dozen kinds of wild flowers and those 

 mostly of the commonest kinds. 



People would not flock from the country into the cities, if country 

 life did not become so very monotonous. Just think a country without 

 birds, trees and flowers, with nothing but fields and barb wire fences 

 and shadeless, dusty roads! Would it be a wonder if such a hfe would 

 be regarded as unbearable, and could we blame our sons and daughters 

 for their growing dissatisfaction with country life? 



It is therefore of great importance to all, city and country people 

 alike, that as much as possible of the beautiful in Nature be saved from 

 destruction in the transformation of virgin soil into cultivated land. This 

 can of course not be done without some sacrifice on the part of the 

 owner, but does not our present fifty million WOrld's Fair prove that we 

 , have lots of spending money for the higher and nobler aims in life? 

 Let us hope that we, the fruit-growers of Missouri, will always bear in 

 mind that we are willing to sacrifice a few of our cherries, grapes and 

 berries for the good of the country and not do murder as long as there 

 are other means to keep fruit-loving feathered songsters from our trees 

 and vines. 



Mr. Erb — That was a most excellent paper, and I hope that the 

 secretary will publish it in our report so that the sons of horticulture can 

 read and learn. 



Pres. Whitten — You echo the sentiment of this audience. The 

 horticulturist is a friend of the bird. 



BIRD LEGISLATION. 



(W.J. Blakely, President Missouri Audubon Society, St. Louis, Mo.) 



This world without birds would be a dismal place. Every tree 

 would be a tombstone to the gentle beings that personify nature, and 

 this end is inevitable as it seems to the friends of birds as we see the 

 great destruction that is going on. Self interest is a proper feeling if 



