THE ANNUAL MEETING. 173 



busy a season there were a goodly number present. The exhibit of strawber- 

 ries was the pride of this meeting. Our two new Michigan berries, the Marvin 

 and Shirts, although shown under difficulties, having to be brought so far, 

 compared favorably with any varieties on exhibition. 



The September meeting was connected with the annual fair and will be 

 spoken of elsewhere. 



This annual meeting that we are now enjoying is spoken of by everybody as 

 the best one ever enjoyed by the society. Three things connected with it I 

 wish to especially mention : First, the generous hospitality tendered every 

 delegate in attendance ; second, the courtesy extended the society by Dr. Frieze, 

 acting president of the university, in generously opening to us the doors of 

 this institution and giving many of us our first opportunity of inspecting its 

 various departments, and by so doing givingVdditional support to our already 

 well-grounded pride in this noble head of our State educational system. Third, 

 the exhibit of apples by our co-worker from Ontario, Canada, the venerable 

 Charles Arnold. These varieties are the results of his personal endeavors in 

 producing new and hardy sorts, by crossing, and exhibit the wonderfully varied 

 forms that have resulted from seeds, the product of a single cross. His suc- 

 cess in getting some really valuable new sorts commands our interest and ad- 

 miration. 



THE ANNUAL FAIR. 



The annual fair held in .Detroit September 13-17, was in some respects a 

 more complete success than any we have ever held. The display of fruit was 

 very choice, and there was not such a jam to encounter as on previous years. 

 There was plenty of room to work and arrange the varieties so as to make the 

 exhibit interesting, and there was none of the grumbling incident to a great 

 rush of fruit for which there is inadequate accommodations. 



Each member of our executive boaid had a department to look after, and 

 was made chairman of the awarding committee in that department. The re- 

 sult was that the committee work was most satisfactorily and expeditiously 

 accomplished. Several members of the awarding committees have written me 

 since the fair, commenting favorably upon this arrangement. One said he had 

 never done committee work where every entry was so easily found and where 

 comparisons could be so carefully made. Still with these advantages, the 

 exhibit was far from what we would like. The department of flowers was a 

 jumble. There was no good place to show large plants, so that we had no 

 valuable large plants shown. The ordinary line of florists' supplies was mixed, 

 because our arrangements were so imperfect for this kind of an exhibit. 



It was quite noticeable that notwithstanding Detroit has so many fine green- 

 houses and so great a display of taste in the work of its amateurs, still there 

 was little attempt to do anything at our fair. 



One thing 1 might criticise, and that is the breaking over the rule in certain 

 divisions where the fruit is required to be grown by the exhibitor. The pre- 

 mium list gives plenty of room for the collectors, without having them infringe 

 on the rights of exhibitors who grow their own fruit, and I trust that at no- 

 future exhibit there will be cause for complaint. 



There is certainly great advancement in two directions quite noticeable in 

 our recent exhibits. First in the selection of varieties for an especial purpose \ 

 second, in the freedom from blemishes. It is getting to be known among 

 pomologists abroad that the men who show fruit in Michigan know how to 

 select specimens and how to name varieties. 



