14 STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



von liave by great effort secured the attention of a few families in the district, 

 and tliey aie\villing to take hold and add a little to the beauty of the scliool- 

 liouse surroundings, how long will this spirit last with the ])resent grade of 

 teachers, who in largo majority care nothing for this sort of thing, and will 

 not turn their lingers over to maintain anything that is already begun. So 

 vou see there is another serious job in the education of the teachers. I have 

 known teachers in rare cases to make flower-beds at the school-house and pre- 

 serve them in attractive condition, all to the great benefit of their schools, but 

 unfortunately this state of things can be found only at great intervals. I 

 apprehend our work is with the parents and patrons of the schools. If we can 

 by anv means awaken an interest in securing larger, more attractive and well 

 kept school-grounds, we are doing a great work for our State. 



Mr. Guild. — I arise rather to a suggestion of a point of order than to con- 

 tinue this discussion. It seems to me that notwithstanding this is a very inter- 

 esting and profitable discussion, vre are getting away from the scope of our 

 legitimate work as decided by a vote of this association some meetings ago. 

 The fact is this is a State Pomological society, and although a strong effort has 

 Ijeeu made to make it ^'horticultural," so as to cover such discussion as this, 

 it has been a failure. I make this suggestion, not to choke off* discussion, but 

 to call your attention to the fact that our name is not in keeping with our 

 work. 



Prof. C. L. AA'hitnev. Muske2:on. — I think the a^entleman is all wrons^. We 

 are right in discussing this question here. It is a profitable one, and comes 

 within the scope of our society work. Our name does not necessarily describe 

 our work, but designates the society from all others, and indicates a piece of 

 work that we may do. It was the name under which we were ori:^anized. Let 

 US keep it, but let us not make some definition of it circumscribe our work. 

 To me this question of ornamenting school-grounds is one of the most inter- 

 esting because it has been so much in my mind. Since I helped plant out a 

 few evergreens at the Xormal school very early in its history, and while I have 

 been watching their rapid development and effect upon the beauty of those 

 grounds I have still been thinking, and talking, and working toward increas- 

 ing this kind of work about our country school-houses. It is a great wonder 

 to me that more is not done in this direction, because a little counts so much, 

 and so large an interest is received upon the investment, because trees grow 

 while we sleep, and do not stop in vacation. I, too, am in favor of flowers 

 and bedding plants. Prof. Beal was misinformed concerning our schools in 

 western Michigan, for we do have spring terms, — just the time to accomplish 

 this kind of work, and I give my opinion as the result of experience, that work 

 of this kind properly superintended is of more practical value to the children 

 than any single study they pursue. This is a good way to gradually work out 

 of the idea that all which is to be learned must be dug out of books. Many 

 liomcs would be completely changed as a result of a little work in this direc- 

 tion, and whole neighborhoods influenced for the better. 



Prof. Beal. — My objection to bedding plants and flowers is simply on the 

 ground of expediency. It seems to me they will be neglected in the summer 

 vacation and the effect lost. 



Mr. Whitney. — I have yet to find a neighborhood which lacks a family that 

 Avould not care for a flower bed in the school yard during vacation. 



Prof. Beal. — I move that the suggestions contained in Mr. Latta's essay con- 

 cerning methods of interesting the people in the ornamentation of school 

 grounds, be referred to a committee consisting of Prof. Whitnev, for the pur- 



