ANNUAL MEETING AT SAGINAW. 511 



of the Executive Board at Lansing, in June, when a visit was contemplated 

 to the Agricultural College in conjunction with other organizations, but a 

 atorni prevented the consummation of this arrangement. 



The evening meetings at the time of the State Fair were sparsely attended; 

 one evening the weather was so inclement that no one was expected to attend. 



The annual meeting is in acceptance of an invitation from the East 8agi- 

 naw Business Men's Association and is the second time the society has met 

 in this valley for discussion, the former meeting having convened at Bay 

 City three years ago. 



OUR VOLUMES. 



The librarian's report will show the condition of the library, but allow me 

 to supplement his statement with a few items. 



The Lyon library, which was received as a gift from our honored president, 

 will be kept separately from the remainder of our collection becaus:} we desire 

 it to be used. For this purpose it will be placed at the Agricultural College, 

 the volumes to be used simply as reference books. 



Our report for 1886 was delayed in various ways and did not reach the 

 people until April, but, as will be seen by Mr. Forster's rep )rt, the distribu- 

 tion has been very complete, there being on hand no more volumes than there 

 should be for future calls. The volumes for 1887, I confidently expect, will 

 be ready to send out the first week in January — earlier by two months than 

 ever before. This is due to the fact that a large proportion of the volume is 

 given up to a 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN HORTICULTURE, 



the matter of which was prepared by our worthy president very early in the 

 year and printed during the summer. A few volumes of this history have been 

 bound in paper covers for the members of the society present at this meeting. 

 The horticultural exhibit at 



THE STATE FAIR 



was a genuine success. There being no premiums, and consequently no sharp 

 practices to secure awards, the exhibit had some novel features that prizes 

 would not have brought out. The arrangement of fruit in the hands of the 

 officers was more attractive than ever before, and I am satisfied that to secure 

 the best results some modification of the plan of this exhibit is desirable. 



EXPERIMENT STATION MATTERS. 



Our society certainly did her part towards securing the enactment of the 

 Hatch Experiment Station law, and in order to see that in the formulation 

 of the general plan of work by the association called together at Washington 

 for the purpose, horticulture should have a fair deal, we sent a delegate 

 to that convention, and Prof. Bailey, whom we sent, was the only horticult- 

 urist in the convention, and he secured a place so he could be heard only 

 on a technicality, by being accredited to the Agricultural College. But he 

 did valiant service for our cause and was listened to with respect. 



