THE ANNUAL MEETING. 179 



LEGISLATION. 



Several matters have been brought to my attention during the year con- 

 cerning legislation in the interests of horticulture, and I wish simply to call 

 the attention of the society to one of them, that if thought best some action 

 may be taken in connection therewith. We are getting to have a bad 

 name in Michigan on account of our want of common honesty in the matter 

 of fruit packages. It is impossible to tell from the appearance of a package 

 how much is its capacity. Our half bushels are clipped short until they 

 scarcely hold more than a peck ; our pecks are shortened until we have all 

 grades down to half-pecks, and the half-pecks often hold but three quarts, 

 while the bottoms of the quarts are raised so near the top as to materially 

 diminish the quantity of their contents. Some remedy should be used to protect 

 buyers and honest growers, and it has been suggested to me that the State 

 might by enactment require that the capacity of every package put upon the 

 market be plainly stamped upon it. 



A YELLOWS MATTER. 



The question has arisen whether peaches from trees diseased with the yellows 

 are injurious to the consumer, and in order to take steps toward the settlement 

 of the question a basket of badly diseased peaches was sent by President Lyon 

 to Dr. Kedzie, President of the State Board of Health, for investigation, and 

 at Dr. Kedzie' s request the following circular was sent out: 



Michigan State Pomological Society, ) 

 Secretary's Office, Grand Eapids, Oct. 16, 1880. ) 

 My Dear Sir : 



President Kedzie of the State Board of Health is making a careful investigation 

 of the question : Does the disease known as "•yellows" affect peaches so as to make 

 the fruit deleterious or poisonous when taken into the human system? If you know 

 any facts concerning sickness caused by eating diseased peaches, please confer a favor 

 by communicating them at once to Dr. K. C. Kedzie, Lansing, Michigan; or to me, 



and thus lend your aid to the investigation. 



Yours truly, 



CHAS. W. GARFIELD. 



Very little testimony of any value has yet been sent in, but I hope members 

 of the society will assist us in this investigation as far as they are able. 



COURTESIES TO THE SECRETARY. 



I cannot pass in review the work of the year without reference to some 

 especial assistance I have received in connection therewith. It is well known 

 to you all that we have little money to work with, and nearly all of that is 

 earned in making the annual exhibit for the State Agricultural Society, hence 

 in assisting the formation of local societies, and in the gathering of statistics, 

 if traveling expenses amounted to much, my work would be sadly hedged in. 

 But several of the railroads have come to my assistance, and granted me priv- 

 ileges which have enabled me to prosecute the work given in hand, as far as 

 time permitted. The following railroads have granted me assistance : Chicago 

 & West Michigan, through Mr. A. M. Nichols; Flint & Pere Marquette, 

 through W. L. Webber; Grand Rapids & Indiana, through President Hughart; 

 Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, through General Manager Newell, have all 

 granted me passes, and the Michigan Central, through General Manager Led- 

 yard, has granted me a half -fare ticket. 



