THE ANNUAL MEETING. 17? 



dens in Michigan, that have been interesting as contributing to the history of 

 Michigan horticuture. It has seemed to me that if these could be all gathered 

 and saved it would be a valuable permanent contribution to our transactions ; 

 and early in the year I presented a proposition to the executive board a plan 

 for working up this matter, which, perhaps on account of its involving no 

 expense and only a good deal of work on the part of the secretary, was adopted. 

 I have been digging away at it during odd moments this year, and find it is a 

 slow work. In a few counties I have found men who would undertake to 

 gather the statistical information in their counties; but it takes a good deal of 

 time in personal interviews (correspondence seems to avail little), and but few 

 have the time or are willing to make the sacrifice that the facts may be gath- 

 ered and saved. However, in the report for 1880 I have made a beginning, 

 and through the aid of a few earnest men several counties have been carefully 

 worked over, and the results embodied in contributions to our current volume. 

 I trust that during the coming year all who hear or read this report will 

 assist me in carrying out this design. The men and women who know the 

 history of the early efforts in horticulture are fast dropping away, and if we 

 wish to save the history we must do it at once. I ask your aid in this matter. 

 The simplest facts and circumstances are acceptable, and I do not care in what 

 form they come. 



BRANCH SOCIETIES. 



I beg you to bear with me in a somewhat lengthy statement of the work 

 during the past year in the organization of auxiliary societies. We have found 

 that our best work for the horticulture of Michigan has been in the annual 

 volumes of transactions. These have contained the results of our endeavors 

 as the progressive steps have been taken, in a concise form to be used by all 

 who desired to be benefited by them. The State some years ago passed a law 

 by which an annual appropriation is made to defray the expense of printing a 

 defined number of these volumes, for the use of the society in forwarding its 

 work. The Society, on account of its straightened circumstances, has not been 

 able to distribute the volumes according to the original intent, but has sent 

 them out by thirties and fifties to any person who would take the trouble to 

 distribute them to people who would receive them. As a result of this pla n, 

 often, when the volumes were all out for any one year, applications would be 

 made by fruit men who needed the information, for volumes of the transac- 

 actions and none were to be had. And all this time the Society was deriving 

 no revenue from the volumes, so that really the appropriation, instead of being 

 a benefit to the Society financially, was a detriment in that it created an 

 expense to the society in the distribution of the volumes, giving nothing in 

 return. 



As a step away from this plan toward a better way, as he thought, the Sec- 

 retary in 1879 sent out with each box a request that the person distributing the 

 volumes should retain a list of the men, with their postoffice addresses, to whom 

 the volumes were handed ; this for the purpose of getting the Society in direct 

 communication with the people who were supposed to take most interest in the 

 work. As a result of this effort, for the 3400 volumes sent out there were less 

 than 90 names returned. This was rather a startling announcement to make 

 to the Executive Board, and the Board decided at once, that during 1880 there 

 must be a different plan adopted. 



After spending some time in discussing the matter, the board hit upon the 

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