PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING 71 



ANNUAL REPORT OF TREASURER. 



RECEIPTS. 



Balance on hand December 1, 1896, cash in bank $309 51 



Received annual membership fees Nos. 1 to 71, inclusive 71 00 



Received interest on loans secured by mortgages on real estate 144 60 



Received interest on deposits in savings banks 10 84 



Received partial payment of principal of one loan 15 75 



Total of income for the year $551 70 



EXPENDITURES. 



For two boxes for books and cartage, sent to Lowell $0 25 



For tvyo boxes for books and cartage, sent to Lansing 25 



For postage and street car fare during the year 70 



For loan to .Tohn D. Case and wife, real estate mortgage 300 00 



Total of expenditures $.301 20 



Balance on hand in savings bank 250 50 



$551 70 



ASA W. SLAYTON, 



Treasurer. 



SOME OBSERVATIONS ON FRUITGROWING IN 1897. 



BY MP. J. N. STEARNS OF KALAMAZOO. 



In the Rcpuil of this society for the year 1877 (twenty years ago), 

 page 235, is a paper I read at the animal meeting held at Grand Rapids, 

 entitled, "Preparing fruit for market." This Report fell into the hands 

 of a gentleman in New ^'(»rk. who had been in the commission business 

 there twenty live years. He said he was so well pleased with the points 

 made in that paper, that he must write me, and he did write me a very 

 nice letter; and among the other things, he said the position taken 

 regarding conscientious grading and ]»acking of fruits was wherein all 

 the jiroliis lay. I hear it fre(iucntly remarked by my neighbors, that 

 they believe I mak(^ mor(^ off from my fruit farm than any one else 

 on the lake shore. If this is true, it is not because I grow better fruits, 

 but for the reason that I adhere strictly to the careful grading of my 

 fruits, so they give better satisfaction for the price charged. Now, if 

 I w'ere convinced of this twenty years ago, I was more than convinced 

 of it last year and this. Out of 20,000 baskets of peaches last year. I 

 made but one shipment of first-class peaches to the over stocked market 

 of Chicago, and that was one hot Friday with fruit ripening so fast I 

 could not hold it until the first of the week for my customers. The 

 crop was sent out on orders to regular customers (some of them of 



