80 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Wednesday Evening Session. 



This session was most, largely attended of all, several hundred persons 

 being present, entirely rilling the hall. After an introductory piece of 

 music, Chairman Garfield introduced Hon. J. M. Samuels, Chief of the 

 Division of Horticulture, who spoke as follows upon World's Columbian 

 Exposition. 



HORTICULTURE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. 



In attending this meeting of your State Horticultural society, I do not 

 feel that I am coming among strangers by any means. The names of 

 manywof you, whom I have met, are quite familiar. I have been in many 

 parts of Michigan, and mingled with the fruitgrowers so often, that I feel 

 almost as much at home as in my native state. 



As you are aware, my appointment has recently been made. Upon 

 being confirmed, I found the plans of the Horticultural Hall had been 

 decided upon, contracts given for most of the work for building, and the 

 location properly determined, but nothing more. Out door space for 

 trees and plants had not been considered, and in the general scramble for 

 additional space, by the heads of the different departments, every avail- 

 able foot of land had been appropriated, except a small area between the 

 building and the lagoon. This seemed discouraging for a beginning, and 

 I came to the conclusion at once that it would be necessary to act with 

 promptness and vigor before plans had developed too far to admit of being 

 changed. 



By persistent effort we have suceeded in having assigned to the depart- 

 ment all of a beautiful elevated island, containing fifteen acres, and around 

 which are clustered most of the great buildings of the Exposition. The 

 view, from every part of this island, will be the grandest on the grounds, 

 and in some respects will not be equaled in the world. Adjacent or near 

 to the horticultural building, an additional ten acres have been secured, 

 making about twenty-five acres of out-door space altogether. The island, 

 upon which has been spread the black soil removed from all the building 

 sites, mixed with a liberal supply of fertilizing material, will be used for 

 an exhibit of roses, rhododendrons, azaleas, herbaceous plants, and a gen- 

 eral nursery display. The planting immediately in front of the building 

 will consist of echeverias and other bedding plants, arranged in raised beds 

 and made to harmonize with the ornamental frieze which extends all along 

 the front of the building. The beds will probably be illuminated with 

 30,000 or 40,000 incandescent electric lights, requiring 1,000 horsepower to 

 operate them. And these lamps will show the complete outlines of every 

 bed, and be placed under foliage, and colored in a way to bring out the 

 most spectacular effects. They will be operated to show portions of the 

 beds at one time, or different parts in rapid succession, and thus present an 

 attractive panorama or kaleidoscope. Other parts of the outside grounds 

 will be illuminated in various ways. The horticultural building is the 

 finest ever erected for a fruit and plant exhibition. It is 1,000 feet long 

 by an extreme width of 237 feet. As you will notice from the engraving, 

 it has a central glass dome, connected by front and rear curtains with two 

 beautiful end pavilions, thus forming two interior courts, each 89 feet bv 

 287 feet 



