384 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In response to a letter of inquiry the secretary of the above society kindly 

 •sent the following information: 



My Dear Sir: — Replying to yours of Oct. 18, I will say that as one means 

 of collecting information for our annual report we have for several years ap- 

 pointed an ad interim committee in each of the three horticultural districts, 

 Northern, Central and Southern Illiuois, whose duty it is to visit, during the 

 season, as many points as possible and investigate diseases, insects, varieties, 

 soils, location, modes of culture, etc., and report at the annual meeting. 



During the last two seasons the secretary has sent circulars into every 

 county in the State asking information on the same and many other points, 

 which has been compiled and with the reports of the ad-interim committees, 

 published in our transactions and in many of our agricultural papers, thus 

 giving to the people a large amount of valuable information. 



We have also adopted the plan of sending delegates to meetings of our neigh- 

 boring State horticultural societies requiring them to present a written report 

 to our annual meeting. By this means we hope to get an insight into their 

 methods that will enable us to do more efficient work than ever before. 



For several years we have been holding a competitive exhibition of fruits, 

 Tegetables, dried fruit, cider, vinegar, etc., in connection with our annual 

 meeting, offering such premiums as our means will allow. These exhibitions 

 have been very successful and have attracted the attention of many farmers 

 and amateur — as well as professional — horticulturists, and drawn them into 

 our society and interested them in our work. 



It would occupy more space to tell what we should do and what we would be 

 glad to do, than what we have done. 



"We should have a well equipped experiment station with at least a dozen sub- 

 stations under the management of competent men, where new varieties of trees, 

 plants, fruits and vegetables should be tested before being generally dissemi- 

 nated. 



We should print ten times as many copies of our transactions as we now do, 

 so that one hundred could go into every county in the State, which would 

 arouse an interest in our work and largely increase our membership and means 

 of usefulness. 



A. C. HAMMOND, 

 Secretary Illinois State Horticultural Society. 



