Annual Meeting — Superintendent's Report. 119 



1879. Dr. Cr. 



Feb. 4. To voucher No 102, printing $5 25 



Feb. 4. Bymembership $5 00 



Feb. 4. Balance 45 94 



Total $168 19 $168 19 



Respectfully submitted, 



Matt. Anderson, Treasurer. 

 On motion, the report of the treasurer was accepted and adopted. 



The report of the superintendent at the fair was called for, and 

 read as follows: 



EXHIBITION IN THE HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT 

 AT THE STATE FAIR OF 1878. 



REPORT of the superintendent. 



Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society: As the time for 

 our exhibition drew near, great apprehension was felt by your 

 superintendent, and many others, least the display of fruit should 

 be very far from satisfactory. The remarkably fine promise of the 

 early part of the season had been seriously blighted by hard frosts 

 in May and the series of cold winds and storms that followed, and 

 was still further impaired by extremes of heat in midsummer and 

 excess of rain in the interior portion of the state, and severe 

 droughts on the lake shore. With these facts in view, the out- 

 look was rather discouraging, and this was intensified by the as- 

 surance of the other officers of the fair that " our display would be 

 a failure;" that " we would not need one-quarter of the hall as- 

 signed us, and that we would be lost in such a large building." 

 Urged on by our own fears and a desire to prove these prophecies 

 false, extra efforts were made to draw out, at least, a creditable 

 display of fruit and flowers. The appeals to our horticultural 

 friends were well responded to, and the result was a happy disap- 

 pointment to all. Our hall, 40 by 90 teet, was well filled; so well, 

 in fact, that many of the exhibits were crowded into so small 

 spaces, as not to show to advantage. It was frequently remarked 

 by those passing through, that " the display was the finest on the 

 ground," " better than it had ever been before." 



One noticeable feature of the exhibition was that some of our 



