FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT. 95 



THE BANQUET. 



The delightful social feature of the forty-second annual meeting of 

 the State Horticultural meeting was the banquet, which was held in the 

 St. Cecelia Hall, a musical institution maintained and carried forward 

 by the music lovers of Grand Rapids. The rooms were hardly large 

 enough to comfortably seat the two hundred and over guests who sat 

 down to the tables, but this little inconvenience was overlooked when 

 the delectible viands were brought on, one course after another, the 

 epicurean value of which was well attested to by the hearty manner in 

 which everything in sight disappeared. 



Then followed the second feast — the feast of reason, and with it 

 such a flow of soul as to make the occasion long to be remembered as a 

 most enjoyable one. 



Hon. Chas. W. Garfield was the toastmaster and no more need be 

 said as to the character of the program, or the liveliness with which 

 it was dispatched. After calling the audience together he said: 



"In order to get us into a harmonious relationship with each other, 

 we will have a little music by a quartette." 



A Voice — No, a duet. 



Mr. Garfield — Two duets make a quartette. 



Then followed a beautiful rendering of "Still Lagoon" by Mesdames 

 R. Maurits and Harold Nye, accompanied by Mrs. J. W. Brooks. To 

 a heartv encore, thev sang "Jov." 



Mr. Garfield — We are meeting in a musical building, owned by 

 musical people, and my reputation is in the hands of twelve people. 

 The reputation is to get twelve toasts out in just 48 minutes. So if 

 you will all come within three minutes it will add a charm, and the 

 audience will wear a smile that won't come off. 



The first on the program is a little reminiscence of the early days of 

 this Societv, by Mr. A. S. White. 



Mr. White — I spent a few moments this afternoon in a casual exami- 

 nation of the report of the Secretary of the State Pomological Society 

 to the Secretary of the State. It was dated December 31, 1871. An 

 informal meeting of the fruit growers was held in Grand Rapids on 

 February 11, 1870, when a temporary organization was effected by the 

 election of Samuel L. Fuller to the office of president, A. T. Linderman, 

 Secretary and E. U. Knapp, Treasurer; Henry S. Clubb, S. L. Fuller 

 and L. S. Scranton were appointed a committee to draft articles of 

 association. Jacob Ganzhorn, Wm. Voorish and James Hamilton were 

 appointed an executive committee. 



The first regular meeting of the Society was held in Grand Rapids 



