REPOKT OF THE FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 

 MICHIGAN STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, HELD 

 AT GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, NOVEM- 

 BER 12, 13, 14, 1912. 



The meeting was promptly called to order by President T. A. Far- 

 rand. 



INVOCATION BY MR. EDWARD HUTCHINS. 



"Our Father who art in Heaven we raise our hearts, as we are at 

 this moment our voices, to Thee in gratitude. Thou who inhabitest 

 Eternity, Thou who are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the 

 end, the great first cause of all things, we adore Thy name because of 

 Thy wonderful majesty and of thy wonderful mercy. We would thank 

 Thee for Thy preserving care which has been over us during the year 

 that is past and gone. We would thank Thee for the wonderful -pros- 

 perity with which our fields have been blessed; we thank Thee for the 

 blessings and privileges that have been ours to enjoy. And now while we 

 are together here for a short time to deliberate upon the best means 

 for carrying forward the work Thou hast committed to us, we would 

 implore Thy divine blessing. Give us a keen perception of right and 

 wrong; help us to have high standards in all our work and carry it 

 forward with an eye single to Thy glory. And while we are here let 

 brotherly good feeling go from one to another, and may we feel at the 

 close of this session that it has been one of the best that we have had, 

 and may we return to our homes with a full determination to improve 

 upon the lessons of the past and make our work more worthy of the 

 high calling to which Thou hast called us ; and while Thou dost minister 

 to our bodily needs, we pray that Thou wilt also minister to our 

 spiritual needs. Lead and guide us in paths of righteousness and at 

 last receive us to Thyself above. We ask it all in Thy name. Amen." 



THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



According to the program, the President's Annual Address is next in 

 order. Judging the future by the past I think the members of this 

 society know what they may expect in the President's Annual Address. 

 I might deliver a long speech discussing the different phases of our 

 work but what would be the benefit of this? I wish to take up just 

 as little time in this direction as possible, for we are here for business. 

 I may say, however, that if there ever was a time when we needed to 

 be alert, when we as fruit-growers should get right down to business, 



