70 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



" We are by no means to be understood, in this, to assume anything^ 

 beyond the general tendencies in the case, and we close the subject l)y 

 urging upon the society the importance, not to say the necessity, of exert- 

 ing its influence in all proper ways for the securing of the results 

 indicated." 



The recommendations of the president were referred to a committee, 

 Messrs. C. A. Sessions, W. H. Payne, and D. L. Garver. 



SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



Following this, Secretary Reid presented his annual report, which was 

 accepted and adopted: 



" The year which is closing brought peculiar experiences, and some quite 

 unwelcome, to the fruitgrowers of Michigan, in the way of total or partial 

 failure of crops. The grapes were everywhere either completely ruined by 

 severe frosts in May, or were made so imperfect in bunch as to be impre- 

 sentable at the fairs and almost unsightly in the markets. The peach, in 

 the regions where it is most extensively cultivated, was nearly a complete 

 failure, while everywhere else it was productive. It seemed strange 

 indeed, for a deiiizen of Allegan or Van Buren county, where peaches are 

 nearly every year grown by the millions of baskets, but where not enough 

 for home consumption grew this year, to journey eastward and find peach 

 trees in bearing clear across the peninsula, where ordinarily they fail three 

 years out of four. Exceptions to this general statement were certain varie- 

 ties in favored localities in southern Kent, western Allegan and Van 

 Buren, and the new plantations in Berrien, besides this specially blessed 

 and flourishing region of Oceana county, where nearly every peach tree,. 

 and every one of the plums, bent beneath its burden of perfect fruit. The 

 strawberries were few but profitable, the raspberries and blackberries 

 plentiful and fairly remunerative except in Berrien county, where they are 

 grown by the square mile and dumped into Chicago at the rate of 8,000 to 

 12,000 cases daily. But pears were everywhere, in large yield and perfect 

 condition, and I heard of no grower who lost money by them. The state 

 of Michigan is, I believe, soon to grow more pears, and become more 

 famous for them, than any other state in the Union, as she already pro- 

 duces the very best in quality. The apple crop, supposed to be from fifty 

 to sixty per cent of an average, must have been considerably more, and 

 sold at highly satisfactory prices. For some reason, a climatic one, possi- 

 bly, the fruit was freer than in several previous years, from defects caused 

 by fungi or the codling moth, this desirable condition being heightened by 

 use of arsenical spray, which is fast coming into recognition as the fruit- 

 growers' best and strongest ally in the battle with insect foes. 



"Yet while on the whole the year has not been one of the best, and in 

 many important pomological regions was one of the worst, there seems to 

 be no halt in the march of Michigan pomology. There is no preceptible 

 flagging of interest among fruitgrowers, and no doubt as to the profitable- 

 ness of pomology in the future. There are indications that the spring 

 planting of trees and vines will exceed that of any previous year; and this 

 will, I think, be specially the case with the apple and the pear. 



"In connection with this sustained and advancing interest in horticulture 

 it is gratifying to know that the aft'airs of this society, which has been such 

 a jDotent factor in this result, are in a far more hopeful ^ate than at the 



