178 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We have in the State of Michigau 40,000 fruit growers and less thau 

 2,000 of them are members of this Society. Anyone paying a Life 

 Membership in this Society will get the annual report and it is my 

 opinion that a campaign should be inaugurated to secure 1,000 Life 

 Memberships during the year 1916. This \vould bring us in |5,000 to 

 to be added to the fund which we already have. 



Another |5,000 should be secured in the next year, making $10,000, 

 and when we secure this money, it is not for the purpose of blowing it 

 it. but of putting it in the hands of the trustees of the Lyon Memorial 

 Fund, to be invested in securities for the eternal and permanent bene- 

 fit and support of this Society. We should have a secretary who 

 gives his entire time throughout the year to this Society and to the 

 promulgation of its interests. 



Now in regard to the raising of this money, I am of the opinion that 

 that in my own country, Manistee, we can sell or secure 100 member- 

 ships. Now we have 80 counties in which to secure these members, and 

 by instituting an organized campaign, after we get through with Manis- 

 tee, just go down into Mason county, and tell them that we have got 

 100 members in Manistee, and I think they will be ashamed of them- 

 selves, and come across with another 100 without any difficulty. And 

 then we can go into other counties — in this county in which is situated 

 the city of Grand Rapids. I am proud of this city for the reason that 

 they do things. Look at the Masonic Temple — The Pantlind Hotel, the 

 Y. M. C. A. Building. If you want to name in four letters the public 

 spirit of this city you can name it in the four letters Y. M. C. A. I 

 believe that right here in Grand Rapids, we should raise a good liberal 

 amount to add to this fund. I do not mean that it should be raised 

 wholly among fruit growers, for I believe there are others among the 

 business men of the city, who are interested in the Horticultural de- 

 velopment of the country, and will contribute in this way to its mainte- 

 nance and support. 



Take the Michigan Development Bureau, which has done such 

 wonderful work. During the last five years it has raised by contribu- 

 tion in the State of Michigan over .f50,000 and spent this money in the 

 development of western Michigan. There are hundreds and thousands 

 of men who are going into Horticulture in the western part of the 

 State, and they need the aid and benefit of the counsel and advice and 

 books of this Society. Then in northern Michigan there are a large 

 number of members, prospective members — all that would be necessary 

 to get them would be to solicit them and have them see and understand 

 the benefits to be derived from being in touch with this association. 



It was our idea to keep the Life Membership of .f5 for two years, 

 then increase it to .flO; keej* it there for two years more, and then 

 increase it to |25 ; they charge |2 a year membership in New York. 

 I believe that this plan is practical, and that by it we can get |50,000 

 into this Lyon Memorial Fund by a campaign of intelligent work in 

 a few years, and then this Society will be on a i)ernianent footing ask- 

 ing no favors. I therefore recommend that this resolution be adopted. 



Mr. Garfield: If the Masonic jicople can go out and get .flOO.OOO 

 among the Masons for the l)uilding of their Temple, I don't see why the 

 same thing cannot be done by the Horticultural people of this State, 



