STATF. nORTTOTT.TT RAT. SOPTKTY. 61 



This meeting closed with a banquet at the Grand Pacific Hotel, given 

 to the officers and members of the American Pomological Society by the 

 officers and members of the Illinois State Horticultural Society. The 

 funds to defray the expenses of this banquet were raised by subscriptions, 

 contributions and sales of tickets by and among the members and friends 

 of this Society, or at least a sum equal to these expenses was so raised, as 

 will be seen by the financial portion of this report ; so that none of the 

 funds appropriated to this Society, by the State of Illinois, was expended 

 for this purpose. 



An arrangement was made by the Executive Board with the Board of 

 Directors of the Inter-State Exposition, through which the National Exhibi- 

 tion of Fruits was made in the Exposition Building, opening September 8, 

 and closing October 9. By this arrangement that Board of Directors allotted 

 seven thousand (^7,000) square feet of space in the south end of this 

 building, and fitted it up with suitable tables and shelving without ex- 

 pense to this Society, and also presented free tickets of admission to all 

 exhibitors of fruits, and to all members of the American Pomological 

 Society. This arrangement, though in some respects objectionable, 

 seemed on the whole, and no doubt proved to be, the best for all con- 

 cerned that could have been made. 



No one public hall in the city was large enough to contain sufficient 

 tables for the fruits, and to have divided the exhibition into different 

 parts of the city would have very much detracted from its value, and the 

 interest it would secure from members of the societies and visitors. The 

 expenses attending this exhibition were considerably greater than was 

 anticipated, owing to the immense quantities of fruits which flowed in 

 from all quarters of the Union and from the British Provinces ; yet it is 

 highly gratifying to know that the amount of our funds expended was 

 several hundreds of dollars less than was appropriated by the General 

 Assembly of the State of Michigan, and expended by its committee in 

 collecting and exhibiting the fruits of that State alone. 



Allow me here to suggest that, inasmuch as the sum annually appro- 

 priated by the General Assembly of Illinois, to this Society, for the ad- 

 vancement of horticulture, is barely sufficient to cover the necessary 

 expenses of meetings of the Executive Board, the publication of one 

 thousand copies annually of its reports, pay its Secretary his moderate 

 salary, and defray the necessary contingent expenses, it seems appro- 

 priate, if not incumbent upon us, to ask an extra appropriation sufficient 

 to cover the expenses incurred in this exhibition. 



That portion of the building occupied with fruits was tastefully deco- 

 rated with evergreen festoons and wall ornaments, which, with tlie fruits, 

 rendered it beautiful and attractive. 



All the tables originally provided were speedily filled, other and tem- 

 porary ones were constructed, until all available space was occupied, and 

 still tons of the most choice specimen fruits could not be displayed for 

 want of space. 



It is worthy of note lliat, notwithstanding the disappointment which 

 many must have felt in being thus deprived from exhibiting their fruits, 



