178 GENERAL HISTORY. 



The report of the treasurer shows the amount received during the 



year, including bahiuce from 1885, to be §3,251 10 



Amount expended during the year 2,015 04 



Balance remaining on hand 81,236 06 



The following subsidiary report was received from Col. Brackett, of Iowa, 

 the gentleman who so kindly and satisfactorily assisted in making the exam- 

 inations and awards at the last State fair : 



To the Executive Board of Michigan State Horticultural Society: 



Gentlemen— Having received a very cordial invitation from you, tlirough President 

 Lyon, to serve you as judge on fi-uits at your State fair, and having accepted it and per- 

 formed the duties to the best of my ability, I deem it proper to add a few words of com- 

 ment, supplemental to the report on awards. 



Owing to tlie fact of your exhibition coming so near the time of our State fair, I hes- 

 itated in accepting it ; but esteeming it quite an honor to receive such an invitation, 

 coming, as it did, from some of the best pomologists of the country, and affording an 

 opportunity of seeing and testing, under favorable conditions, the famous fruits of 

 Michigan, and of meeting President Lyon, Secretary Garfield and other noted fruit 

 growers of your State, I could not refrain from accepting the invitation ; and accord- 

 ingly, on the morning of the 14th of September I reported for duty on the fair grounds 

 at Jackson, having previously been fui'nished with a complimentary ticket, tlirough the 

 kindness and courtesy of President Chamberlain, of the Agricultural Society. While 

 performing the work assigned to me it was my intention to have placed on record, to 

 be printed with the list of awards, the reasons that led to the decisions in awarding the 

 several premiums ; but owing to the pressure on me to serve on as many of the various 

 committees as possible, I was unable to do so, and had to leave it to others to attend to, 

 wliich I trust was properly done. 



In reference to the general exhibit of fruit, I can truly say that no better display has 

 come under my observation at any of the State fairs that I have attended, and well 

 may the citizens of Michigan feel proud of the work that the State Horticultural So- 

 ciety is domg for the interests of horticulture ; and the Agricultural Society is indeed 

 fortunate in placing this department of their fair under the management of such an 

 eflScient organization. From my observation, I know of no agricultural society that 

 has succeeded in making a creditable exhibit of fruit that has not called to its aid the 

 horticulturists of the State. 



The systematic arrangement and classification of the fruits, in such manner as to af- 

 ford instruction to the public and lessen the labors of the judges, was very good ; but 

 one of the most important works of the society, under the leadership of President Lyon, 

 the correcting the nomenclature of the fruits, was very plain to be seen. As far as I 

 was able to judge, I do not remember of ever seemg so large a collection of fruit where 

 there were so few mistakes in naming. 



The display of grapes and jilums was very fine, showing the adaptation of soil and cli- 

 mate to the growing of these luscious fruits. The collection of seedling grapes grown 

 by Mr. Chidester contained some promising varieties, one of which the committee 

 deemed wortlij' of special notice, and, witli the advice and consent of the originator, it 

 was honored with the name of your worthy President Lyon. We hope it will be given 

 a trial in other States, and prove an acquisition to our list of grapes. 



