MICHIGAN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 339 



ADDRESS OF PKESIDE^T :M. V. ANDERSON. 



Gentlemen of the Executive Committee: 



In compliance with the past custom of this Society, I address you 

 at this our annual meeting-. I wish to take this opportunity to thank 

 you for courtesies shown in the past and your confidence in again 

 calling me to the station of presiding officer. I feel very grateful for 

 the compliment and assuie you that I appreciate it. I have undoubt- 

 edly made many mistakes, but they were not purposely made, and 

 hope you will overlook them, as I have tried to do my duty as far as 

 I was able to see it. 



The past or fifty-first annual exhibition closed the nineteenth century. 

 I wish to extend congratulations that we are enabled to enter the new 

 or twentieth century entirely free from debt, with a comfortable bal- 

 ance in the treasury. A large number of you have participated in 

 bringing the Society out of an indebtedness in 1893 of over |25,000. 

 It is Avith no little pride and much pleasure that I am able to make this 

 announcement. I thought we had the matter of management about as 

 complete as might be, but as the conditions change I believe some 

 changes should be made to meet them. For years the executive mem- 

 bers have spent their valuable time for several days during the busy 

 fieason of the year, working nearly day and night without compensa- 

 tion for the welfare of the society. Wliile we were in debt I, for one, 

 felt like using economy in every branch until we were able to close 

 an exhibition, pay our debts and have a comfortable balance on hand. 

 We have reached that point, and now I would recommend that Article 

 IX of the constitution be changed to fix the pay of all the members not 

 now provided in said article a per diem of |3.00 during the preparing 

 and continuance of the fair, conmiencing on Thursday preceding the 

 fair week, ending on Saturday following the close of tlie exhibition, 

 not exceeding ten days, this to be in addition to actual expenses now 

 provided; and that the president have a fixed amount as salary for the 

 entire year, not to exceed flOO and actual expenses. It is asking too 

 much of the class of gentlemen who comjiose this board to spend 

 their valuable time at a loss from their personal business. 



PREMIUM LIST. 



The ]>i-(MiiiMm list should hav«» a careful rcvisidu and make such in- 

 creases in tlu.' olferings as will attract a larger number of exhibitors. 

 We have a few new counties in the northern ])art of the State that are 

 developing into fine farming and fruit growing districts. Take the 

 counties of Kninu't, (Mieboygau. rres(|ue Isle, Charlevoix, Montmorency 

 and AI]HMia, plac<' iliem in gi-oujis of three or four and otTer $75 or ^100 

 to each grou]> making tlie best exhibit of grains, vegetables and fruits. 

 Variety and quality of exhibits to goveiii llie award. Arranging the 

 groups so that the counties would be as near as possible in the same 



