122 Illinois State Horticultural Society. 



surface should be stirred up, and some good rotten manure forked in round 

 the roots. By giving attention to these simple rules, any person may have 

 exuberant growth, large flowers, and brilliant colors." — Floral Magazine. 



ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Champaign, III., Dec. 14, 1866. 



This society held its eleventh annual meeting, commencing the nth instant, 

 and closing to-day. 



The attendance was unusually large ; all parts of the State being represented. 



The day preceding the meeting, the weather turned cold with that suddenness 

 characteristic of the West, sending the mercury to zero: hence the show of 

 fruit was small ; the largest collection coming from the south part of the State, 

 and numbering fifty varieties. 



Of new fruits, or those not generally cultivated, were the Stanard, — a com- 

 paratively new apple of great promise, nearly as large and showy as the King of 

 Tompkins County. Tree hardy, and remarkably productive of nearly first-rate 

 quality. A large basket of the fruit was presented to the meeting, the members 

 of which became a tasting committee of the whole. 



Ben Davis and Rome Beauty also attracted a large share of attention. 

 Among the older apples of high merit were Winesop and BrandyAvine, or better 

 known as Minkler. These four are rapidly becoming great favorites in this 

 State. A basket each of the two latter took the same direction as the Stanard. 



Your Eastern readers will observe that the prairie orchards have a list of their 

 own, which it might be well for them to make trial of 



The Stanard is said to be a seedling from Erie County, N.Y. It has been 

 drawn in colors by Dewey of Rochester, from a Western specimen. 



The Ben Davis is supposed to be a seedling of Kentucky or Tennessee; the 

 Rome Beauty, of Ohio; and the Minkler, of Ohio or Pennsylvania. The 

 Winesop is an old fruit, that is very popular at the West. 



No change was made in the apple list; but the attention of the society was 

 called to the great value of these four varieties. 



Pears. — The pear list was not disturbed. Cultivators are falling into the 

 practice of our Eastern pear-cuUivators, by planting close, providing abundant 

 shelter, and shading from the direct rays of the sun. The pear-blight is the 

 great drawback in the culture of this fruit. Sulphur, iron, and scoria have been 

 tried with unsatisfactory results. 



Peaches. — But little time was spent over this fruit. Its three enemies — 

 curculio, peach-grub, and frost — were disposed of; the first by the use of Dr. 

 Hall's inverted umbrella with daily jarrings, the second by the use of the knife, 

 tlie third by annual planting and shelter-belts in all that part of the State south 

 of lat. 41°. 



