STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 401 



the blight that has of late years proved so destructive to western 

 orchards and proves that it is a living organism of very low type, 

 that it is capable of reproducing and multiplying itself ad infinitum 

 where surroundings are favorable, and showed very plainly how it 

 worked in the organism of the growing plant, and stated that no 

 perfect preventive had yet been discovered. He also gave an able 

 address on the apple tree before the Agricultural convention with 

 blackboard illustrations showing the circulation of the sap, how cells 

 and tissue are formed and the additional layers of wood are made — and 

 explained the probable cause of winter-killing. He attributes much of 

 the injury to summer's drouth and seemed to favor moist locations 

 for orchard sites. 



The evening session of this day was passed over in order to allow 

 the members to be present at the opening of the agricultural conven- 

 tion in the assembly chamber and to listen to the annual address of Presi- 

 dent A. A. Arnold. His address was earnest, pointed and practical; 

 he spoke like a man that was proud of his state and his calling, and con- 

 gratulated the societies taking part in this convention, in the grand 

 work of education that was going on, making agriculture the most 

 sure way to wealth and the most laudable of all pursuits, and further 

 said the state had adopted a wise policy in causing to be published for 

 free distribution among the farmers, 13,000 volumes of about 1,000 

 pages, containing the cream of the work of all of the state societies, in 

 addition to furnishing the horticultural society, dairymen's association 

 and experimental farm a liberal quoto of their own transactions bound 

 separately. 



Wednesday, Feb. 3., was an ijiterestingday with the horticulturists; 

 papers on our Russian fruits were read by A. Gr. Tuttle, H. H. Howlett 

 andGreo. P. Pefi'er, and followed by an animated discussion of their mer- 

 its. If we rightly understand the sentiments of the Wisconsin horti- 

 culturists on the Russians, they do not expect them to meet all of the 

 future wants of this country, but believe the coming apple is to be a 

 seedling of this country, perhaps of Russian parentage, or a cross with 

 our native sorts. Considerable time was devoted to the revision of the 

 fruit lists, discussing crab apples, how to work and grow trees, select- 

 ing of varieties as parents for seedlings, etc., in all of which we were 

 interested but it would make our report too lengthy to more than allude 

 to them. This day virtually closed the work of the horticultural 

 society. 



The Iowa horticultural society was represented there by two 

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