DECEMBER MEETING. ^11 



and turned standards liaving larger cards })laced on them are employed to 

 designate the locality of varieties. I luive one snggestioii furtlier to make 

 regarding the plan of our annual exliibition, and that is that the chisses be 

 separated by evergreen or colored paper, so tliat the committees will have no 

 trouble in deciding just how far a collection or class extends. This is exceed- 

 ingly important in cases of collections from counties, towns, or individuals. 



J\Ir. Lyon. — I found there was no limit to the removal of cards from plates 

 last season, and our Society is the only one that I know of that lias a perma- 

 nent committee on nomenclature, to secure the proper naming of fruits on 

 exhibition ; but their work is rendered nugatory unless some method is adopted 

 for making the labels a permanent fixture where they are placed. Again, I 

 am salislied we must make some move toward the use of something in the 

 place of our pasteboard plates now on hand. I labored under a false impres- 

 sion when negotiations were making for them, for I understood they were to be 

 made of this stitf paper ware that is made to withstand water, and was quite 

 chagrined to lind we were to use the ordinary grocers' pasteboard butter-plates. 

 I trust some change will be consummated before another fair. 



Mr. Chilson. — I have a word now to put in, by way of suggestion, as to 

 management in connection with the exhibits. It is all-important that our 

 committee work be simplified as much as possible ; and to this end not only 

 must all entries coming in competition be placed together, but the committee 

 must know exactly all the details of arrangement in their division. I suggest, 

 therefore, if it is proper in this connection, that there be one superintendent of 

 fruits, and an assistant superintendent for each division, and that this assistant 

 be expected to do all the arranging in his or her division, and finally act as chair- 

 man of the viewing committee. We shall thus accomplish several objects : 

 1st, The fruit will be well displayed ; 3d, Justice will be done both the exhibitors 

 and those who come to S3e ; 3d, There will be ample opportunity for specialists 

 who desire to learn all they can at the fair to take hold of a division in which 

 they may be peculiarly interested and get a great deal of information out of the 

 experience in handling the fruit. 



Mr. E. Buell, Kalamazoo. — This society is recommended to the fruit growers 

 of Michigan as a light to their pathway ; but unless there is a better exhibition 

 of light than there was at the Jackson fair, we shall not expect much of it in 

 future. I never saw so dark a hall in which to exhibit fruit. It was difficult 

 to distinguish varieties that were quite dissimilar, saying nothing of those that 

 nearly resembled each other. There the fruit was placed on a poor quality of 

 pasteboard plates, as unfit for the purpose as a rag is in place of a window-pane, 

 and, worst of all, the entire exhibit was placed upon a set of stairs too narrow 

 for the plates. I was induced to serve on committees, and before I had made 

 any progress whatever, pronounced the whole plan a fraud, and have not yet 

 had reason to change my opinion. I favor the purchase, as soon as practica- 

 ble, of good substantial plates and securing some means of permanently attach- 

 ing cards upon which shall be written the name of the fruit, the locality of its 

 growth, and the name of the exhibitor. 



Secretary Garfield. — Give us your substitution for the stairs. 



Mr. Buell. — I would substitute flat tables low enough to admit of every one's 

 seeing each plate of fruit without stretching their necks out of joint, and I 

 would have the light fall upon the fruit as directly as possible to give at least a 

 truthful idea of form and color. 



Mr. Lyon. — At the centennial the same difficulty of shelving had to be over- 



