234 ^ ANNUAL REPORT. 



raised upon your farm. As an instance of their value for pro- 

 tecting orchards, I will refer you to the orchard of Amos Welch, 

 upon Greenwood prairie, which, in spite of the winds and tor- 

 nadoes, were, on the sixteenth of September, literally loaded 

 down with as fine fruit as I have seen in any of over one hun- 

 dred orchards I have visited in the past season. 



I had much more that I had desired to say to you, but your 

 time is too precious to be spent in listening to such feeble efforts 

 as mine. Eemember, that you are called to do a great 

 work. Do it well. Give your horticultural society support. 

 Work to have its benign influences spread over the whole county, 

 until every man, woman, and child shall have received good 

 from it. Discuss every horticultural topic that has any bearing 

 upon the welfare of the people of county or town; conduct ex- 

 periments in the originating and propagating new and valuable 

 fruits; encourage a higher education and a nobler home life; 

 work until your mission is fulfilled, and every farm has its for- 

 ests and groves, orchards and gardens, and the whole land shall 

 blossom as a rose, and every home shall be surrounded with 

 such attractions that no temptation shall be strong enough to 

 lure away the inmates to disipation and vice; and when you 

 have done with the work, you will leave a goodly heritage for 

 future generations. 



On motion, a vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Harris for 

 his able address. 



Mr. Harris said he was disappointed to find so few of the farmers 

 of the county present, and advised the association to hold meetings 

 more frequently than they had been in the habit of doing. Some 

 topic should be selected for discussion at every meeting and an 

 effort made to get the ladies interested in the cause. Fairs could 

 be held at the same time and farmers given an opportunity to 

 display their products. At La Crosse, Wisconsin, they have 

 papers read, followed by discussion on some of the more promi- 

 nent features of the paper read, and vocal and instrumental 

 music by ladies and gentlelnen. They have a large attendance. 

 He said that in some places picnics are held under the auspices 

 of the society in summer. In Illinois some of the best speakers 

 in the State are engaged in working up these societies. He said 

 there should be a thorough reorganization of the society before 

 next spring. 



Mr. E. Porter said that the society should first undo things 

 that had been done by some nurserymen in the State. While he 



