214 MICHIGAN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



diate purpose of which is to set in motion proper national machinery to stamp out con- 

 tagious pleuro-pneumonia and other contagious diseases among cattle in the United 

 States, and that the Secretary be instructed to forward a copy of this resolution to each 

 Senator and Representative from this State. 



Adopted. 



A communication from Mr. D. Woodman was read as follows: 



Paw Paw, January 10th, 1887. 

 Gentlemen of the Executive Committee of the Michigan State Agricultural Society : 



For some yeai's Whips Bros. , from Marion, Ohio, have exhibited grains, grasses, vegeta- 

 bles, flour, feed, and other articles at our State Fairs. I believe they ai-e the only exhibi- 

 tors of such articles outside of this State. They seem to be professionals, and I am 

 certain they only raise a part of then- exhibits. One of them admitted that to me at 

 the Fair of 1885. We iDresume their grain exhibits were prepared with great care, for 

 only the committee saw them, as their bags were untied only for the committee, and tied 

 again and removed as soon as the premium cards were placed. Not being able to find 

 some of the premium cards, I was told they were tied up in Whips Bros.' bags, which 

 was the fact. Now, their object in pursuing this coiu-se is evident, for all who have exhib- 

 ited grains and seeds well know that they get mixed by being handled by visitors. But 

 our Ohio visitors are bound to keep theirs pure. Their mill products were handled in the 

 same way ; and let me ask what such exhibits amount to, except to those who draw the 

 premiums. We did suiipose the object of our fairs was to show visitors our products, as 

 well as to secure premiums, but not so with our Ohio friends. I believe they carried 

 away $125 or over in premiums at our last Fair, and $175 the year before. We believe 

 that money should have been kept within the State, by giving it to home exhibitors. 

 Those Ohio exhibits would scarcely have been missed had they not been there, and we 

 suggest whether it would not be advisable to exclude such exhibitors from competing 

 at our State Fair. We think your action unjust in cutting out the premiums offered on 

 grains in straw, showing the length and condition as grown in the field. This was the 

 most important and interesting exhibit in the grain department, and would have been 

 sadly missed from my collection had it not been there. Yet no inducement was offered 

 for bringing it. We think when one of you grow, prepare and exhibit a collection of 

 the magnitude of mine at the last State Fair, you would be willing to increase rather 

 than cut off the small premiums formerly offered. We think we are safe in saying 

 there was not another exhibition in Agricultural Hall that cost half the labor or money 

 that mine did. And yet you pay 60, 40 and 20 dollars to professional gardeners ; $25 

 on potatoes, $6 on a bushel of wheat, and $5 on ten pounds of maple sugar, and f 10 

 on an exhibit of hundreds of varieties of grain in straw, costing months of labor, and 

 claimed by many visitors to be the most interesting exhibition on the grounds. 



Hoping that these suggestions will be received with the same kindness in which they 



are written, and that we all may do what we can to aid our State Agricultural Society. 



I am respectfully yours, 



D. WOODMAN. 



Accepted and referred to Committee on Premiums. 



Mr. Phillips referred to the death of Mr. F. V. Smith, and moved that a 

 committee of three be appointed by the chair to take proper action upon the 

 death of Mr. Smith, and that Mr. W. J. Baxter be named as chairman of 

 such committee. 



