92 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



ticulture, wherever we can throughout the state. This should be 

 our special mission. One June meeting, two, perhaps (but I 

 think one better than the two), can be made very important aid in 

 this work, and at the same time be a cheerful, pleasant re-union 

 of our members, but instead of trying to hold winter exhibitions, 

 I would suggest, as much more likely to accomplish the object we 

 have in view, the plan of announcing to local societies, and to the 

 citizens of the towns in various parts of the state where special 

 interest is taken in horticultural matters, and where it will be 

 possible to get a good audience, that two or more members of the 

 State Society will come and read papers, deliver addresses or join 

 in discussions on such horticultural subjects as may be of special 

 interest throughout that locality, at an afternoon or evening meet- 

 ing, or both, as the interest manifested and other circumstances 

 may warrant. In this way we would reach a much larger num- 

 ber of people, at a much smaller expenditure of time, labor and 

 money than on the exhibition plan. The fifty dollars proposed to 

 be spent by the State Society at each one of these exhibitions, 

 would cover all the expenses of four or five meetings of this 

 kind, and give little, if any trouble or expense to the local socie- 

 ties or citizens. 



Eules and Instructions for Judges. — As the society, in 

 connection with these June meetings, has an interest in the exhi- 

 bitions made there, and also has inaugurated the plan of having 

 competitive exhibitions at its winter meetings, it seems to be im- 

 portant that it should adopt a system of rules governing these 

 exhibitions as far as under its control, and also to establish a scale 

 of points, or at least specify the points to be taken into considera- 

 tion by the judges in passing on the merits of the exhibits. 

 Nearly every similar society has definite rules governing these 

 things, and some go into minute details in describing the special 

 points to be considered in each variety of fruits and flowers. 



Excessive Yield. — Each year seems to have its own peculi- 

 arities, its special difficulties to dishearten those engaged in fruit 

 culture, and the past season has not been an exception in this re- 

 spect, though its experience has been, in most localities, in strik- 

 ing contrast with that of other years ; a surfeit instead of scarcity; 



