284 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Advertising (principally for 187G) $15 82 



Traveling expenses Secretary IG 40 



Delegate to AVestern New York Horticultural Society 3"-i 28 



Summary of disbursements to December 1st $973 93 



FUTURE AVUJiK OF TUE SOCIETY. 



The work of tlie past year has in many ways been eminently satisfactory, 

 but we are not in the proper condition unless we can see some things to mend — 

 unless we are willing and glad to adopt new measures to increase our usefulness. 



In glancing over the field in which we are to exert our influence and carry on 

 our work, there are several amendments and additions that occur to me, would 

 be advisable to incorporate into our metiiod and which I am bold to suggest. 



1. There needs to be a greater degree of intimacy established between the so- 

 ciety and tiie various portions of the State, in so much that a continuous inter- 

 ■change of thought may be established. Questions of methods of management in 

 all the departments of horticulture should be sent in from all quarters freely and 

 brought before our meetings, that each section of the State may derive tlie full 

 benefit of tlie rich experience of our members scattered over the entire Penin- 

 sula. The Secretary can be the medium of such correspondence, and when 

 <[uestions come to him for immediate answer he need not wait to bring them 

 before a quarterly meeting but refer them immediately to members of the society, 

 whose special work or experience has been in the direction indicated by the 

 •querv, and I think from my experience in corresponding with the pomologists 

 ■of Michigan the past year, they will be happy to answer fully any such ques- 

 tions referred to them. We are organized for the accomplishment of just this 

 kind of work, and I submit this suggestion as indicating a method of carrying 

 •ou one branch of our work. 



2. It is necessary that some arrangement should be made somewhere by which 

 ■we can secure a headquarters, — a place where our smaller meetings can be held, 

 — where special committees can convene and feel that they are at homo and 

 -encroaching upon no one, — and we need a place to gather our property and feel 

 that it is permanently situated. If tlie great commonwealth of ^Michigan can 

 not afford us, — as representatives of a leading interest in our State, — a single 

 room in its capitol, or even if it is given grudgingly, it would be a question wor- 

 thy of some discussion : What higher, nobler, or more worthy objects are the 

 I'ooms ill our capacious State building to be devoted to? and if there are abun- 

 dant and satisfactory reasons for shutting us out, we must seek a corner some- 

 Avhere else in the State. 



3. I would further suggest tliat we do more newspaper work. When any 

 important paper or letter is written upon a topic of the day that loses its force 

 by waiting until the Report is published, some means should be taken to send 

 the communication abroad through the State, and this can be done at a very 

 little expense by sending jirinted slips to the leading State and county newspa- 

 pers. These slips can be struck otf for the cost of the press work, which is 

 almost nothing, and for a penny each can be forwarded to fifty newspapers in 

 the State, always discriminating as regards localities from tiie character of the 

 communication. In this way our best work will reach every part of the State 

 just when it is most needed. 



4. We need to look upon our annual fairs mure as sources of education to 

 the people, and by every means possible strive to secure the same interesting 



