PKOCEEDINGS OF THE AUTUMN MEETING. 55 



solidity of the specimens and the taste of their display. There seemed 

 to be a good many sorts wrongly named, which shows the necessity of 

 just such tuition as our society was organized to give. 



CHAS. W. GARFIELD, 

 R. D. GRAHAM, 

 SMITH HAWLEY. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PLANTS AND FLOWERS. 



Your committee on plants and floral decorations would present the 

 following report: 



We find that the public spirit of the florists and flower lovers of Trav- 

 erse City, and of the superintendent and steward of the Northern asylum, 

 had led to the decoration of the hall in which our evening sessions have 

 been held. 



The vases and flowers and smilax upon the president's desk and about 

 the stage have done much to brighten that part of the hall. 



In the rear, where the principal display is made, we find a bank of stove 

 and greenhouse plants, and others arranged upon a series of shelves 

 around three sides of the alcove. 



The bank of plants in the center, occupying a space ten by sixteen feet, 

 is from th greenhouses of the Northern Asylum for the Insane. They 

 are healthy, well-grown, and present a pleasing appearance. The collec- 

 tion consists of bananas, six varieties of palm, fifteen of begonia, ten of 

 fern, geranium, selaginellas, dracaenas, rubber plants, and a variety of 

 others. They also show forty varieties of cut flowers from the green- 

 house and gardens, including cannas, gladiolus, zinnias, phlox, carna- 

 tions, roses, mignonette, tuberoses, dahlias, and swainsonia. 



The largest display by a florist was supplied by the Traverse City Flo- 

 ral Co. It was tastefully arranged and was set off with an abundance of 

 well-grown smilax. In the collection were palms, begonias (tuberous), 

 foliage, and flowering), fuchsias, coleus, callas, roses, verbenas, petunias, 

 phlox, zinnias, salpiglossis, geraniums, and carnations, besides a well- 

 arranged pillow of roses, carnations, asparagus, and smilax, with "Trav- 

 erse City Floral Co." in immortelles. Two crosses of scarlet geraniums 

 and smilax were also exhibited by them. 



F. M. Paine of the South Side greenhouses, shelved a collection of 

 clean, well-grown ferns, palms, geraniums, coleus, stocks, fuchsias, rub- 

 ber plants, azaleas, primroses, genista, grevillea, saxifrage, cypress, dra- 

 caenas, and Empress candytuft. He also exhibited eight vases of stocks, 

 asters, verbenas, petunias, ageratum, candytuft, geraniums, and penste- 

 mons. 



In the exhibit, and adding materially to the effect, were fine plants 

 of begonia metallica and velvet-leaf, shown by John Devendorph; a large 

 coleus from Peter Boudreau; a plant of Sanseceria zealanica, from W. B. 

 Thacker, and a fine rex begonia shown by W. H. Umlor of Oak Park. We 

 also find pans of verbenas, phlox, pansies, and sweet peas that have been 

 thoughtfully brought in by parties whose names we could not learn. 



The State Agricultural College has s^nt for exhibition vases of roses, 

 allamanda, gladiolus, stephanotis, and ferns. 



