:^^»rT'"?^r'iW*T3p3!P57s» "^.^ 



THE ILLmOIS FARMER 



Jan. 



Illinois State Horticultural Society. 



WINTER MEETING. 



',7.JZ FIRST DAY MORNINC. SESSION. 



Alton, Dec. 15, 1863. 

 I jThe Society met this nion.ir.g in tlie Mercantile 

 Hall, a fine building just coinpictcrl, and owned by 

 Mr. Reed ; President Minior in tlie chair. The at- 

 tendance was very fair eoiisideriin^ tli,,t only the 

 Ohio and Missis.sippi r.nd Oiiicago and Alton rail- 

 roads grant return pa.^sea. We can see no renso:i 

 why tlie railroad companies slioiiM r.nt p:i'nit the 

 same courtesies to t'uis valuable State intitution, 

 that thoy do to the State A^iriiruitural Soci- ty, 

 more especially the Illinois <^>,:!itiMl. which !s so 

 deeply interested in the progress of fruit culture 

 and market gardenias from <.'lur;.go to Cairo. We 

 observe but oi:e mcmbv^r ir,.!;i tljat part of the 

 State, reaching a distance ol' ;jt).> in h s, and no one 

 from the main line, but we tsu-t th;;t more will ar- 

 rive. Over fifty meniiiers fiave aiiswen-d to the 

 roll call and taken their sear-; 



S. G. Minkler, of Spicit- Giovo, offered the fol- 

 lowing resolution : 



Resolved, That each ses-'oii of liie soci'ty be 

 openvd with prayer; th't tlv.' clergy of the city be 

 invitfd to conduct thereligi.iiKcxireises ; and that 

 in the absence of the ek'r:^^, ( iie preS'-nt session 

 be opened with prayer i)-- t!:e I'rtvidvnt. 



The resolution was ndoptiNl. 



An ap/iropriate prayer wis made by the Presi- 

 dent, memi'ds risi';g to th i. l"( t. W. ('. Fhigg, 

 Corrtsponding Secretary, g'(<'tvd and welcomed 

 the society to this city, on li-h.;lf of iis citizens. 



Mr. Miller, chairman of tl;' committee of recep- 

 tion appointed l.'y the A!to- Flortienltiiral Soeict}-, 

 stated that it was the puipos and pleasure of the 

 citizen;' to entertain mcHibcr.s ut their homes, dur- 

 ing their stay in the city, U'd suggested a rece>sof 

 ten minutes, that i!;embir-) nrglt register their 

 names and be a^s'gned placs by the ccnnmittce. 



C. D. Braglon moved t';at delegates present 

 from societies be requested to liand in their names 

 and credentials to the Secret iries. Carried. 



The following nanvnl p -rsoiis were reported : 



II. T. Mudd, Dr. H Cl.gg tt, J J, Kelley, dele- 

 gates from the St. Loi;is Horticultural Society; H. 

 T. Mudd Gi'O. Husiiiann and John Scherer, dele- 

 gates fiom the Missouri Stat llorticnltural Societv. 



By vote, these gcntli-men were invited to take 

 seats with, and participiite in the discussions by the 

 society. 



President Minier th"n read his annual nddress 

 It was mainly congratulitory. The suggestions of 

 importance in it were tin- appointment of a com- 

 mittee, a standing committie, in CHch of the three 

 (or more) g'and divisions or fiuit sections of the 

 State, to report and revise fruit lists adapted to 

 these sections respe>i fully.- And he suggested 

 ■whether the Vice Presidents of the Societj — one 

 in each Congressional district — might not with 

 propriety do this work, they hav only nominal du- 

 ties to perform. 



He call'd attention to the fact that the " Old 

 Guard," the veterans in horticultural service, are 



passing away, and suggested the importance of fill 

 ing up the ranks with recruits. 



He reviewed the history of the Society's Fair at 

 Rockford, and congratulated the Society upon its 

 i moral ami financial success. 



He called attention to the fact that the rnilroads 

 of tiie State do not adequately recognize the service 

 this society is doing and has done them, by promo- 

 ting the production of fruit for market, and in- 

 creasing tlie ;imount transported over their lines. 

 H'^urg'd that a more liberal recognition of the 

 work of this society on the part of railroad compa- 

 nies woul 1 be only what is due the society, and no 

 d im, ge to railroiid interests. 



H«' called the attention of members to the pro- 

 priety of paying greater attention to the cultivation 

 of the honey-bee, in connection with horticulture. 



He also urged the propriety of investigating the 

 claims of the Ailanthus silk-worm of China, recent- 

 ly introduced in this country. 



The address was brief, sound and suggestive ; 

 and was, on motion, referred to a committee of 

 three, consisting of Dr. Long, of Alton ; Jno. Hig- 

 gins, of Woodburn, and S. Shepherd, of Hennepin. 



On motion, W. C. Flagg, Dr. E. S. Hull, W. F. 

 Miller, were appoinned a committee on Pro- 

 gramme. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Messrs. Pheonix, Bryant and Stewart were ap- 

 pointed a committee on Fruits ; Mr. Husmann and 

 Mr. Mudd, of Mo., Dr. Shroder, Dr. Warder and 

 Whitney, committee on Wines, of which there is a 

 good display. 



The Treasurer reported cash on hand of $116, af- 

 ter paying the expenses of the Rockford Fair, and 

 other expenses, up to this date, showing the Socie- 

 ty in a good, healthy condition. 



The Corresponding Secretarx made a verbal re- 

 port, stating that he had been endeavoring to get 

 fruit lists from different parts of the State, repre- 

 senting the principal distinct leealities. To thi.^ 

 end he had distributed about 5*^0 circulars, and 

 had received replies from about one-tenth of 

 them. From these replies he had been laboring to 

 make a report : but circumstances had prevented 

 his completing it. He asked that it be referred to 

 the Executiue Committee, and, if approved by 

 them, that he have further time wherein to com- 

 plete it. The matter was referred to the Executive 

 Committee. 



DIVISIONS OF THE STATE. 



This proved a knotty question in which the 

 meeting soon became tangled up, and it was finally 

 decided to compromise the matter between science 

 and convenience, and adopted the line of the Lo- 

 gansport, Peoria & Burlington railroad, for the 

 southern limit of Northern Illinois, and the Terre 

 Haute and Alton railroad that of the northern lim- 

 it of Southern Illinois. 



APPLE LISTS FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 



The list of summer apples recommended by the 

 society heretofore for general cultivation was taken 

 up, read over, and where members objected to any 

 on the list, such objection was stated, and the ob- 

 jector moved to strike it from the list. 



Early Harvest. — M. L. Dunlap, of Champaign 

 county, moved to strike it from the list. He had 

 fruited it in North Illinois fifteen years, and had 

 got but two crops from it. He would strike it out j 



