DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 63 



time permitted, visits have been made to a number of local horticultural 

 societies. 



In September, 1897. the American Pomological Society met at Colum- 

 bus, Ohio. I attended as a delegate from the State Horticultural Soci- 

 ety. While at Columbus I visited the State University and the State 

 Fair which was held at this time. In December I attended the meeting 

 of the Ontario Frnit Growers' Association at Waterloo, Ontario, and 

 there met many leading horticulturists of Ontario, and several of the 

 officials of the Ottawa Experiment Station; after the close of the meet- 

 ing I visited the agricultural college at Guelph. During the Christmas 

 holidays I received and accepted an invitation to attend a meeting of the 

 South Essex Horticultural Society at Kingsville, Ontario. 



farmers' institutes. 



Owing to the change in the arrangement of the college terms, it be- 

 came easier to give time to institute work during the summer than in the 

 winter, as had previously been the case, and arrangements were made 

 for a number of summer institutes. 



The first was held at Hudson and Adrian in connection with the local 

 horticultural societies, and in July others were held at Traverse City, 

 Chief and Frankfort under the auspices of the institute societies of 

 Grand Traverse, Manistee and Benzie counties. In August, another series 

 was held in the southern tier of counties, at Scofield, Adrian and Hud- 

 son, in connection with the county horticultural society. In February, 

 the Long Fruit Institute was held at Grand Rapids. It lasted four days, 

 and was well attended by fruit growers of Kent county and by others 

 from the surrounding counties. The topics considered by myself were 

 "Sinall Fruit Growing" and "The Diseases of Fruits." Roland Morrill, 

 president of the State Horticultural Society, gave two talks each day re- 

 lating to peach and plum culture, while Prof. Barrows discussed the 

 nature of some of the more troublesome insects and gave recipes for 

 their destruction. I also attended the session of the round-up at the col- 

 lege. 



In June, 1898, summer institutes were held at Ida, Monroe county, 

 and Adrian and Hudson, Lenawee county. As in 1897, the meeting at 

 Adrian was under the auspices of the Lenawee horticultural society, that 

 at Hudson of the Lenawee and Hillsdale horticultural society, and at 

 Ida the Monroe county institute society. 



Respectfullv submitted, 



L. R. TAFT. 

 Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening. 



Agricultural College, Michigan, June 30, 1898. 



