<J4 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE 



longer behold them, with head and tail projecting toward the 

 ground at an angle of 45 deg., creeping along with a ludicrous 

 mixture of all kinds of gait, upon a couple of legs and a pair 

 of setting poles, galled upon back and breast, troubled with 

 thistletoe, glanders and heaves, and limping with pin-hip, 

 ringbone, curb, and spavin. 



Should the truth be honestly spoken, there can be no doubt 

 that our domestic animals have too often been stinted by 

 cruelty and dwarfed by neglect, until all beauty, size, and 

 proportion have nearly disappeared. Let the sin and shame 

 rest where they belong. 



The change of which we have thus far spoken, is already 

 extending itself to the conveniences and comforts of rural 

 life. Taste, neatness, and methodical arrangement are already 

 evinced in the buildings, fixtures, fences, orcliards, and gardens 

 of the farmer. Shade and ornamental trees are taking their 

 proper position in the yards, along the highways, around the 

 dwellings, and at judicious points in every field. Flowering 

 shrubs, and fruit-bearing vines, are now being clustered and 

 trained over trellises, delighting the eye and gratifying the 

 taste. The choicest varieties of fruit from vine, shrub, and 

 tree, each in its season, now add to the pleasures of the family 

 and give a zest to toil itself. 



At this precise point of my address, I am reminded by the 

 public call for this meeting, by the splendid specimen varieties 

 of fruit put on exhibition here, and by the attendance of rep- 

 resentative gentlemen from various parts of the State, that a 

 distinct branch of our main theme now presses itself upon 

 our attention, and demands more than a passing notice. The 

 Michigan State Pomological Society are entitled to have their 

 specialties considerately treated. 



Fruit culture, in proper localities, is a pleasant field for 

 human care and effort, full of taste and beauty, and not only 

 richly remunerating labor, but largely contributing to the 

 comfort and luxury of living. It is a field of operation where 



