REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 313 



BERRIEN COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



PREPARED LY SECRETARY REEVES. 



This society was organized August 21, 1880. The officers for 1881 are as 

 follows : » 



President — R. C. Tate, St. Joseph. 



Vice Presidents — S. G-. Antisdale, Benton Harbor ; W. A. Brown, Stevens- 

 ville; S. H. Comings, St. Joseph; D. N. Brown, Benton Harbor; J. H. 

 Feather, St. Joseph ; R. C. Thayer, Benton Harbor. 



Secretary and Treasurer — C. E. Reeves, Benton Harbor. 



These officers constitute the executive board, with full power to enact laws, 

 remove negligent officers, fill vacancies, call meetings, etc., and have charge of 

 ■the annual exposition. 



Regular meetings are held quarterly, the time and place being selected by 

 •the board. 



The annual meeting for election of officers occurs on the second Wednesday 

 •of December. The first or preliminary meeting was held at St. Joseph August 

 7th, at which time committees on framing a constitution and soliciting mem- 

 berships were appointed. Several interesting questions were discussed, among 

 which were causes of premature leaf dropping from plum trees, blackberry 

 rust, pear blight, etc. 



The first regular meeting was held at Benton Harbor August 21, when a con- 

 stitution was adopted and officers elected to serve until the annual meeting of 

 1881. 



Special Meeting Sept. 18. 



This meeting was held at Benton Harbor, and quite largely attended by 

 fruit growers, who were drawn in by the expected discussion of the peach yellows 

 and the law relating thereto. 



S. H. Comings read a letter from a friend in New Jersey, which stated that 

 ipeaches were now growing to perfection there in regions devastated by the 

 yellows but a few years ago. Mr. Comings offered two questions for considera- 

 tion : First, whether this latitute was not north of the natural peach zone, and 

 thus unfitted to compete with Delaware and Maryland ; and, second, whether 

 peach growing was longer profitable in view of present low prices. 



D. N. Brown, in reply to the latter query, said that the present low prices 

 were the result of shipping diseased fruit, and not from over production, and 

 that good fruit could not now be sold readily simply because purchasers were 

 so often deceived and feared the disease. 



S. G. Antisdale presented at length some recent investigations, going to show 

 that the disease was a fungoid growth upon the under side of the leaves. 



After a prolonged discussion the society adopted the following : 



Resolved, That this society advise the immediate enforcement of the peach yellows 

 law in the several townships of this county. 



