178 STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



plan of organizing auxiliary societies in every county, city, or village in the 

 State, in which may be found to exist sufficient horticultural or pomological 

 interest to warrant a hope of their successful continuance. Such local auxil- 

 iaries to constitute the neuclei through which the membership of the parent 

 society is to be kept up and increased, and the means through which an inter- 

 est in and attendance upon its sessions shall be secured ; as well as the medium 

 through which the parent society shall collect and disseminate information, 

 including, at least in part, the distribution of its transactions. 



The idea was further suggested that the membership in the State and auxil- 

 iary societies might be combined and both covered by a single fee, with the 

 offer of the current volume of transactions as an inducement thereto. It was 

 further suggested that the transactions of the auxiliary societies should be 

 transmitted to the Secretary of the State society, for insertion in his annual 

 report. 



The plan seemed to be very promising because it would place the State soci- 

 ety in direct communication with every portion of the State where there was 

 interest enough to form a society; and through the agency of the reports from 

 these various organizations a proper estimate of the needs and capabilities of 

 these localities could be made. At the same time the State society would, by 

 placing its transactions almost exclusively in the hands of these societies, not 

 only build them up but give to them the very latest and best horticultural 

 knowledge to assist them in their progressive work. 



The plan was adopted, and the secretary instructed to use what little surplus 

 time he might have in pushing the new work. 



In accordance with these instructions, I went into the field whenever oppor- 

 tunity offered, and as a result, we have branches organized as follows : Lan- 

 sing, Ingham county; Jackson, Jackson county; Grand Kapids, Kent county; 

 Ann Arbor, Washtenaw county; Allegan, Allegan county; Lawton, Van Bu- 

 ren county ; Holland, Ottawa county ; Woodland, Barry county ; South Bos- 

 ton, Ionia county ; Coldwater, Branch county ; Benton Harbor, Berrien 

 county ; Ludington, Mason county, and Colon, St. Joseph county. 



Aside from these, steps are taking for completing organizations in Hillsdale, 

 Lenawee, Calhoun, Bay, Oceana, Muskegon, and Benzie counties. 



Mr. S. L. Fuller, our former treasurer, the man who has done more to help 

 the financial condition of our society than any other, in commenting upon this 

 plan of auxiliary societies said : " It is a stroke of genius ; it has better prom- 

 ises in it than anything that has been suggested ; I am in for it and bid. you 

 G-od speed." 



Whether we shall succeed in approximating our hope in this matter, depends 

 upon a few people after all. In the beginning, every branch society must de- 

 pend very largely upon the undivided efforts of a limited few ; but as the plan 

 develops, and the results become apparent, I feel that the burdens of our en- 

 tire work will be more evenly shouldered by the men and women of the State, 

 who believe in the grandeur of our possibilities in horticultural pursuits. The 

 fact that in these auxiliary societies families can join in the support and ben- 

 efits adds to the interest and hope in the success of the enterprise. At the 

 close of 1881, we should have forty branches organized in the State. Whether 

 we shall reach this estimate depends entirely on the cordiality with which the 

 plan is received by our fruit-growers, tree-planters, and home lovers. 



