66 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The finance committee reported approval of the reports of the secretary 

 and the treasurer. 



President Lyon made brief remarks complimentary to Grand Eapids and 

 the intelligent horticulturists of her borders. 



MORE ABOUT INTENSIVE HORTICULTURE. 



The secretary read the following letter from M. Crawford, of Cuyahoga 

 Falls, Ohio, received too late for reading in its proper order : 



By "intensive horticulture" is meant such a complete supplying of the 

 wants of the growing crop that it may do its best from first to last. In that 

 case we shall have a maximum yield and, usually, the largest profit. Any 

 failure on our part will diminish the profits accordingly. For want of drain- 

 age, surplus water may prevent a natural extension of the roots; for want 

 of thorough preparation of the soil, the roots are being constantly turned 

 aside from their course, and much of the fertility is unavailable; for want 

 of frequent stirring of the surface, a crust forms and shuts out the air from 

 the roots, and weeds are permitted to grow and appropriate part of the food 

 designed for the crops; for want of supplying plant food out of which our 

 crops must be made, a large part of our labor is lost, and if the land be very 

 poor we may lose it all ; for want of timely attention, insects may prey upon 

 our crops and remove the last chance of profit. So we see that we must be 

 intensely in earnest during the entire growing season. Only letting go on 

 our part will tell against us at the time of final reckoning. The use of the 

 land, cost of seed or plants, fertilizers, preparation of the soil, planting, 

 cultivation, and harvesting amounts to quite a sum, and an ordinary crop 

 may, and often does, barely pay expenses. Whatever we gain in excess of 

 this is our profit. This should be our incentive to effort. It is the part of 

 wisdom for us to study how we can increase the profits. It will hardly be 

 accomplished by any ordinary effort. Anybody can do things in an ordinary 

 way, and things thus done yield but ordinary results. Increasing the amount 

 of fertilizers to the point of producing a maximum crop usually increases the 

 profits; cultivating so frequently that weeds never get a start is more profit- 

 able than killing them after they have started; and sometimes the profit 

 comes from careful sorting and packing. In any event our profits may be 

 regarded as the reward of whatever efforts we put forth above the average. 



M. Crawford. 



Whereupon the society adjourned, after authorizing the president and 

 secretary to fix the time and place of the February meeting. 



