SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 187 



from horticulture. Their moulding influences are most potential during the 

 earlier years. How important, then, that our society shall keep up with im- 

 provements and refinements of the day — not those only which wealth alone can 

 procure, but more especially those embodying such refining tendencies and 

 which are yet within tire reach of all. Among these are the surrounding of 

 our dwellings with trees, shrubs and flowers, and the enlivening of the bleak- 

 ness of winter with plants in our windows, together with the supplying of men- 

 tal food and pleasant companionship to still the craving for the associations of 

 the street or the saloon. Another means of bringing horticultural influences 

 to bear upon the incipient men and women of our country was inaugurated 

 years since by our worthy secretary. I refer to his movement for the orna- 

 mentation of country school grounds. The movement has apparently brought 

 forth some good fruit. Why it has been intermitted, as it seems to have been, 

 I leave to him to explain. I recommend that it be revived by a series of offers, 

 perhaps of the diploma of the society, for school buildings and grounds com- 

 plying with needful requirements, the same to be determined as formerly in 

 the case of orchards and gardens, or possibly through the instrumentality of 

 our local societies. 



I have heretofore called the society's attention to the importance of bringing 

 our influence to bear upon the Upper Peninsula. It is yearly becoming more 

 easy of access, its people are increasing in numbers and it gives increasing 

 indications of agricultural and horticultural capacity. There are very many 

 indications that its capacity in these respects has been very much underrated. 

 A friend familiar with its capacities and with its people suggests that there is 

 more interest felt there on this subject than has been supposed. It is even 

 suggested that if a meeting of our society was called at some eligible locality 

 in that region a very general gathering of the people might be had. I suggest 

 that a committee be appointed to consider the matter and report at our winter 

 meeting with reference to the possibility of calling such meeting next June. I 

 also suggest that such committee be instructed to consider and report upon 

 the most effective means of reaahing the newer counties of the Lower Peninsula 

 and securing co-operation with our society among their people. 



Abundant sympathy and active aid have been accorded to the society by the 

 faculty of the Agricultural College, for many years past, and a cordial feeling 

 has ever existed between the two. This very agreeable mutuality, however, is 

 apparently the result of a personal tendency on the part of the members of 

 the faculty rather than of any definitely favorable action of the controlling 

 board. In fact, while this body has, beyond question, acted wisely, from a dis- 

 tinctly agricultural standpoint, there is apparently more occasion than there 

 should be for the assumption that their appreciation of horticulture (including 

 fruit culture) in our State may not be commensurate with its relative position 

 as indicated by the facts in the case. True, there has been generally, a small 

 minority upon the board in sympathy with horticulture — too small, however, 

 to tell as against the preponderance spoken of. As a consequence, the horti- 

 cultural department seems to have been dwarfed and hampered in various ways, 

 lacking the means and facilities indispensable to its creditable management, 

 while the green-house — an indispensable adjunct of horticulture — is placed under 

 a separate and independent management. 



To state this condition of the department is to condemn it ; but we may 

 very naturally be asked, What is the remedy? We answer, there is reason to 

 hope that the present head of the institution is in sympathy with reform in 



