WINTER MEETING. 417 



We rejoice that you have come in our midst to stimuhite inquiry and awaken 

 a desire for the best and educate as to methods of production. We appre- 

 ciate that with a greater diversity of products there come new enemies to 

 baffle us, and it is with pleasure we call to our aid the scientists that are 

 identified with your society. In our city we have numerous delightful homes, 

 about which have been gathered the newest products of horticultural art. 

 The owners of these homes greet you heartily and will take tlie liberty to 

 absorb from you all the information they can with reference to the further 

 embellishment of their premises and the best means of adding to the comfort 

 of city life through the -employment of the information you are freely dis- 

 seminating. We gladly welcome you among us, knowing that with all we can 

 do we shall be the gainers by your presence among us. 



Following the above welcoming words, Mr. Hewitt said : 



Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society and fellow citizens : 



In the interest of horticulture and in behalf of our county organization I 

 bid you welcome to this place. Our land of hills and dales is one of the 

 southern counties of the State, situated a little east of midway between the 

 head-waters of the great lakes Michigan and Erie, with railroad facilities for 

 the transportation of its surplus products in every direction. It is somewhat 

 elevated above the adjacent country, as is evidenced from its being the source 

 of several large rivers that flow from it indifferent directions. It has a great 

 diversity of soil, changing suddenly from one kind to another, a feature for 

 which Michigan is especially noted. Its inhabitants have opportunities for 

 general agriculture, pomology and gardening probably as good as other local- 

 ities within the same latitude. The people of this county raise considerable 

 fruit, sell some and use a good deal. In its production they meet with several 

 obstacles, some of which are difficult to overcome, especially the various 

 insects that destroy from year to year so much of our best fruit, and of 

 which we expect to hear considerable said during the deliberations of this 

 meeting. 



Fruit growing is profitable financially to those who understand the business 

 and make it a specialty, but in the rural districts generally, where it is 

 carried on in connection with other farm industries, dollars and cents are and 

 should be only a secondary consideration, while the first and best should con- 

 sist in having an abundant supply for our tables at ail times during the year, 

 with some to give away, thus making others cheerful and happy as well as 

 ourselves in the enjoyment of some of the delicious productions of the earth. 



We have for a good many years seen the necessity of improvement in horti- 

 culture. Great changes have been wrought in our country during the last 

 half century. We know something of pioneer life. It was the object of the 

 early settlers to get rid of the timber, to make improvements, as we used to 

 say, and we did make improvements, sometimes carrying the work a little too 

 far, in destroying the native forests, not thinking then of wind-breaks or trees 

 for shade and ornamentation. The present time calls for work of a different 

 character, such as draining our lands, the removal of fences, painting our build- 

 ings, setting out evergreen and deciduous trees for shade and for ornament, 

 plauting shrubbery and flowers, and in many ways improving the looks of our 

 premises, rendering them comely and cheerful. 



The subjects of horticulture and pomology have received heretofore con- 

 siderable encouragement from the organized agricultural societies throughout 

 the State. But this was not enough. In view of the fact that the best con- 



53 



