88 JSfotes and Gleanings, 



Meetings of Horticultural Societies. — Unlike the eastern societies, 

 which rely for the advancement of horticulture mainly on exhibitions of fruit, 

 flowers, and vegetables, our western friends seek to promote the cause chiefly by 

 meetings held during the comparative leisure of winter, and extending over sev- 

 eral days, at which reports of ad interim committees, who have during the grow- 

 ing season examined the grounds of the best cultivators, papers on various prac- 

 tical subjects, and discussions suggested by them, are in order. The time of these 

 meetings is given mostly to fruit growing, though flowers and vegetables are not 

 forgotten. We find, in our exchanges, reports, more or less full, of such meetings 

 in Ohio, Indiana, lUinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and 

 Kansas. Some of these states comprise so gi-eat a diversity of soil and climate 

 that one society is not sufficient ; and so we have the Northern and Southern, or 

 the Eastern or Western ; and in Missouri Valley the grape growing interest 

 is so extensive, that a separate society has been organized to promote it. We 

 have sometimes attempted to give abstracts of the proceedings of these meet- 

 ings, but at present our space will not permit, as we would like to ; so we must 

 be content with an occasional selection of a paragraph or two on some of the 

 most important points. 



We had the pleasure of attending the late meeting of the Illinois State Horti- 

 cultural Society, and seeing how things are done under the presidency of our 

 correspondent, W. C. Flagg. The meetings are held at different places from 

 year to year, the last being at Galesburg, and more fully attended than any pre- 

 vious meeting, the citizens of the place being present in large numbers, especially 

 at the evening sessions. Delegations were present from Missouri and Indiana, 

 and the members^ were hospitably entertained by the people of Galesburg. The 

 address of the president was full of practical suggestions, and interesting reports 

 from the vice-presidents of the seven districts into which the state is divided 

 gave information of the state of horticulture in each. The ad interim report on 

 grapes was presented by D. B. Wier, and that on apples by the secretary, O. B. 

 Galusha. Dr. Warder delivered a lecture on the variation and improvements in 

 fruit trees, and their propagation, and the subject of forest tree planting, now 

 attracting so much attention in the west, was fully attended to, Mr. Robert 

 Douglass reading a paper on evergreens, and Arthur Bryant one on the most 

 desirable deciduous trees for artificial planting. Our correspondent, Parker 

 Earle, made a very interesting ad interim report on pears ; J. W. Velie gave an 

 essay on birds beneficial or injurious to horticulture ; Dr. Hull presented the ad 

 interim report on peaches and plums ; and a paper on the effect of cultivation 

 and settlement on fruit culture was read, which we prefer to have criticised by 

 some one else than ourself An essay by Dr. Spaulding on the influence of wine 

 on the American people provoked a discussion which showed that the temperance 

 people of Illinois were in earnest. 



Arthur Bryant, of Princeton, whose acquaintance the readers of the Journal 

 made in the last number, was elected president for the current year, and the ne.xt 

 meeting was appointed at Jacksonville. 



