439 
seceetary’s report. 
py. Shall we let it pass unnoticed ; and where choice fruits 
should grow^ will you allow it to be covered with crabs and 
thorns, yea, even thistles covering the waste places of our land ? 
It is within the province of this society to not only be a 
help-meet to work out an acadeni}^ of science, but to take hold 
at the foundation of the work, and through its interest aid in 
the legislative work toward the dissemination of practical 
knowledge, so much desired and absolutely essential. There 
are rare and as yet unknown plants, both native and foreign, 
that may be of great service to our state, and which would add 
wealth to its resources were they but known. Your work 
involves great scope of action. All the discoveries connected 
with the natural sciences should be at your command, and 
when this is done, and the direct object of your labor [is pro¬ 
perly understood, and the relation it will hold to the state and 
country at large is appreciated, then has a field of labor been 
opened out to your view. 
The objects to be pursued are many. You should appoint 
an ad interim committee, whose labors would be required al¬ 
most entirely to be done during the summer, or at intervals 
from spring to fall. This committee, consisting of three mem¬ 
bers (Illinois has five), should visit every nursery in the state, 
noting the condition in which, they find the trees, care of nur¬ 
series as far as possible, relative value of sorts cultivated and 
reliabilitv of same. The bearing orchards of the state should 
be visited, list of fruits noted, and their value or merits as 
adapted to this soil and climate carefully written down. Any 
new or unknown sorts should be w^atched for and whenever 
found made the especial study of your committee, more 
especially so, if it seems to be thriving in its locallity, search¬ 
ing out its history, nomenclature, etc. The small fruit planta¬ 
tions should also be seen, seeking to ascertain in a general 
way the same facts as mentioned for the orchard and nursery. 
The facts thus collected should be furnished to the press from 
time to time, and finally published in your volume of transac¬ 
tions. You may say this a great task—true, but what is it as 
compared to the same undertaking in our sister state, (Illinois). 
