42 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Butte, Mont. , via Boise, Idaho, to the 

 Pacific coast. This will shorten the route 

 to Duluth, at the head of the great lakes, 

 from the coast 250 miles and from points 

 in Idaho proportionately, giving the ad- 

 vantages of a part water and cheap freight 

 route to the markets of the East. 



Salt Lake was selected as the place for 

 the next meeting. 



COMING DECISION ON THE 

 WRIGHT LAW. 



Decision of the case under the Wright 

 Law in California is soon due from the 

 United States Supreme Court. The hear- 

 ing was set for the first Monday in 

 January, the 6th. There is general in- 

 terest in this decision in the West, as it 

 will have a bearing on the acts in all the 

 States. Of the recent decision in Nebraska, 

 the Omaha Bee says: "The importance 

 of the decision handed down last week by 

 the Supreme Court of Nebraska, affirming 

 the validity of the irrigation act passed by 

 the last Legislature is probably not fully 

 appreciated by the people of the State. 

 The court declared the act to be constitu- 

 tional, and inasmuch as the Nebraska law 

 is essentially the same as that of Cali- 

 fornia, whose law was judicially declared 

 by State courts to be unconstitutional, the 

 decision of our highest court is of great in- 

 terest. Of course the question may be 

 taken to the federal courts, but the proba- 

 bilities are in favor of the decision being 

 sustained." 



ILLINOIS STATE HORTICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY. 



THE recent meeting of the Illinois State 

 Horticultural Society at Kankakee 

 was a full one. The address of President 

 T. E. Goodrich, of Cobden, was a resume 

 of horticultural progress during the year. 

 The reports of the treasurer and secretary 

 showed the expenses of the society for the 

 year to have been $4,280.60. 



The committees were as follows: Her- 

 rick's essays, L. R. Bryant, H. Augustine, 

 R. T. Fry; final resolutions, J. L. Hart- 

 well, E. G. Mendenhall, G. J. Foster; 

 treasurer's report, J. W. Staunton, 

 George A. Bell, L. F. Small; fruit com- 

 mittees, central, E. A. Riehl, J. N. Fitch, 

 J. I. McSpadden; northern, C. G. Winn, 

 Archie Augustine, G. W. McCluer; 



southern, J. V. Cotta, L. R. Bryant, O^ 

 W. Barnard; general collections, A. L. 

 Small, S. W. Gilbert (of Missouri), C. H. 

 Webster; vegetables, D. S. McKinstry,. 

 A. Hamilton (of Michigan). 



Interesting and instructive papers were 

 read by C. G. Winn and L. R. Bryant, 

 and discussed by the members. 



During the session one hundred mem- 

 bers of the society, with their wives, ac- 

 cepted the invitation of Dr. Clarke Gapen, 

 the superintendent, and visited the irri- 

 gated farm of the Illinois Eastern Hos- 

 pital for the Insane, and also the hospital. 



J. N. Fitch, of Cobden, read a paper on 

 cherry, peach aad plum culture. W. S. 

 Perrine, of Centralia, presented a revised 

 fruit list for Southern Illinois. Prof. S. 

 A. Forbes, of Champaign, State Entomol- 

 ogist, spoke upon recent progress in agri- 

 cultural entomology. William Gould, of 

 Villa Ridge, read a paper on the varieties 

 and cultivation of grapes. 



About $400 was distributed among the 

 successful exhibitors of apples, pears and 

 grapes. E. A. Riehl, of Alton, made a 

 report on work in the experiment stations, 

 which was most favorable to them. G. J. 

 Foster, of Bloomington, presented a re- 

 vised fruit list for Central Illinois. 



In a general discussion as to whether 

 the spraying of fruit trees was beneficial, 

 a majority thought it was. H. L. Doane, 

 of Johnsonville. read a paper on the varie- 

 ties and cultivation of small fruits. Prof. 

 Eugene Davenport, of the University of 

 Illinois, made an address on the use of 

 home-made fertilizers, with especial refer- 

 ence to green manure. G. W. McCluer, 

 of Champaign, assistant superintendent of 

 the State Experiment Station, read a paper 

 on the benefits to be derived from 

 thorough and clean cultivation. 



One evening during the session, Dr. 

 Gapen, on invitation, made an able and 

 instructive address on irrigation in Illinois, 

 which was listened to with rapt attention. 

 The doctor gave facts on the simplicity 

 and cheapness of this safe plan of farming 

 which created general surprise and deeply 

 interested his audience in the subject. 



Officers elected were: President, T. E. 

 Goodrich, of Cobden; vice-president, L. 

 Small, of Kankakee; secretary, H. M. 

 Dunlap, of Savoy; treasurer, Arthur 

 Bryant, of Princeton. 



Springfield was chosen as the next place 

 of meeting. 



