384 THE GROUNDSWELL. 



publican ticket, he wrote earnestly for the political press. 

 In 1857, after the death of his father, he devoted himself 

 exclusively to farming, and in 1858 and succeeding years, 

 besides building, planting, and fencing fields, old and new, 

 he commenced orchard planting. During the next ten years, 

 he planted about one hundred acres of orchard, principally 

 apple, but also comprising a good many peach and other 

 fruit trees, besides a pretty extensive collection of experi 

 mental varieties of nearly all sorts of fruits. 



CONNECTION WITH ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In 1860, as a member of the ^Republican State Central 

 Committee and the County Committee, he took an active 

 part in politics, and wrote some political pamphlets. 



In 1861 he was elected Secretary of the Illinois State 

 Horticultural Society, a position which he held until 1869, 

 bringing to this position an untiring industry, and a large 

 and varied experience. The volumes of that society at 

 tracted the attention of horticulturists all over the country. 

 In this position he continued until 1869, most of the time 

 serving without compensation, when the Society most re 

 luctantly accepted his resignation, and, in appreciation of 

 his earnest and self-sacrificing labors in its behalf, unani 

 mously elected him their President for 1871. 



In 1862, Mr. Flagg introduced into Madison County, Illi 

 nois, a herd of Devon cattle, having previously bred grades 

 of this stock, and now has a herd of about twenty &quot; pure 

 bred,&quot; besides grades. The same year he was appointed 

 United States Collector of the Twelfth District of Illinois, a 

 position which he held until January, 1869, when he re 

 signed it in order to take his seat in the State Senate, to 



