150 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in 1870, and 4,732,092 in 1880. From 1870 to 1881 the clearing 

 was 5,041,086 acres, or 799,192 acres more than the total forest in 

 1881. At this rate a single decade would deforest the State and 

 leave a large deficiency to be supplied from other States and 

 Canada. In 1883 the damage by floods in the Ohio basin alone 

 was more than $61,000,000. Has the removal of forests from the 

 vicinity of many of the tributaries of the Ohio River had any 

 influence in precipitating all this excess of water from those 

 districts into the streams?. Would not the restoration of forest 

 growths tend to retain more or less of that moisture where it fell, 

 or at least to cause it to pass awa^' more slowl}', and, to a greater 

 extent, discharge its natural functions, to the advantage of the 

 annual crops, the live stock, and local navigation, and render it a 

 benefit in every way to the people, instead of the terrible scourge 

 it has been in later years ? 



BUSINESS MEETING. 



Saturday, March 8, 1890. 



An adjourned meeting of the Society was holden at half-past 

 eleven o'clock, the President, William H. Spooner in the Chair. 



Charles N. Brackett announced the decease of George Hill, 

 and moved the appointment of a committee to prepare a suitable 

 testimonial. The motion was carried and the Chair appointed as 

 that Committee, Mr. Brackett, Henry W. Wilson, and Warren 

 Heustis. 



The Secretary read letters from the Bay State Agricultural 

 Society and the Worcester South Agricultural Society, expressing 

 the thanks of those Societies for the invitation to appoint a 

 member who should have the free use of the Library and Library 

 Room during the year 1890, for the purpose of preparing papers 

 to be read at Institutes of those Societies, and announcing that 

 they had respectively appointed George M. Whitaker, of South- 

 bridge, and George L. Clemence, of Globe Village. 



