]<;:i GENERAL HISTORY. 



effort to eucourage the ornamentation of school grounds by a free distribution 

 of seeds, accompanied by directions for their treatment, and they were 

 requested to still further cooperate by continuing such offer with the assur- 

 ance of the cooperation of this society by offers of premiums or otherwise. 



The board adjourned to meet at Jackson on tlie day previous to the meeting 

 of the society at Hudson. 



Such meeting was held as proposed, but its doings were of routine character. 



On February 28th, 18'-12, the State Horticultural Society met for its regular 

 winter meeting, at Hudson, Lenawee county, upon the invitation of the Farm- 

 ers' Union Association. President John Harkuess of that association called 

 the meeting to order, when a cordial welcome was extended to the Horticult- 

 ural Society by Dr. Smart, the village president, which was followed by a 

 response by the president of the Horticultural Society. 



S. W. Dorr, of Manchester, opened the session with a paper on " Buildings 

 for Keeping Winter Fruit," in which he treated the question what is to be 

 done with a supply of apples in excess of the demands of the market by pro- 

 posing the use of fruit retarding houses, without resort to ice as the means of 

 refrigeration, illustrating by means of such a building of his own construc- 

 tion. 



The discussion which followed the reading of the paper brought out the 

 alleged fact that fruit, kept without the use of ice in Mr. Dorr's retarding 

 house, and marketed in May, commanded prices fifty per cent above similar 

 fruits kept in a refrigerator, on account of its superior ability to resist decay. 



S, B. Mann followed with a short paper on "Modern Improvements in 

 Horticultural Implements," and suggested the possibility if not indeed the 

 probability of more wonderful improvements in the near future. 



The subject of implements was still farther considered by E. M. Potter, of 

 Kalamnzoo, more especially with reference to the keeping of them in order, 

 and the greater liability of complex implements to need care in this particular. 



Mr. A. D. Healy, of South Haven, next opened the subject of "Fruit Pack- 

 ages," stating his view to be "let a quart package hold a full quart, let a 

 peck hold eight full quarts, don't try to cheat but be honest, and in the end 

 it will pay handsomely. Every packer of fruit should use a package upon 

 which he is not afraid to put his name and address. A short package is not 

 a good advertisement. There is a heap of dishonesty in packages sent out of 

 western Michigan." 



The evening session was opened by Professor Tracy, of Detroit, with an 

 address on " Seeds," illustrated by drawings. Ue started out with the re- 

 mark : — " Seeds, how are they made, and what are they made for, are questions 

 which will be asked by thousands of children and, possibly, by some grown 

 people." After illustrating the numerous similarities existing between seeds 

 and plants, and the similar purposes to which they are often devoted, he 

 draws his conclusion as follows : — " Seeds, then, are simply plants packed 

 with the omnipotent wisdom and skill of the Divine hand for transportation. 

 What is the practical bearing of this fact ? Simply this, that when a farmer 

 goes into his field, with his seed corn or wheat, he carries with him the future 

 possibilities and limitations of his crop, as completely as when he takes out a 

 load of trees to set in his orchard; indeed, more so, for it is not practicable 

 to change the character of his corn and wheat plants by grafting or budding 

 as he can do in the case of his trees. His seeds planted, the character of his 

 crop is determined. He may secure a more or less perfect development of the 



