48 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



work than would be done by any other man who was not in it for the 

 real love of the work. And right here I want to say that I don't be- 

 lieve that we can find a Secretary with the experience and the ability 

 that our present Secretary has, who will do the work he is doing simply 

 for the love of it. There is need of all the raone^y that can be brought 

 into the organization, and every cent will be wisely expended for the 

 advancement of the individual members of this Society. 



Mr. Fitch — I would like to inquire what effect this would have on 

 the membership of auxiliai'y societies. 



The Chairman — It does not affect the auxiliai'y societies, 



Mr. Smythe — I appreciate very much what Mr. Keasey said. We had 

 fifteen hundred dollars from the state. The state got poor and cut us 

 down to a thousand, and we only have a thousand dollars a year to 

 run this society and besides the little that comes from the Lyon Mem- 

 orial Fund. It costs something to run a meeting like this. Our Secre- 

 tary has to have a nominal sum — ^he is {satisfied or he would not hold 

 the office, but I must say that I think he ought to have much more for 

 the work he does, so I do not feel, in view of the fact that we have so 

 little to do with, that we should hesitate to raise our price to one dol- 

 lar. Certainly fifty cents, or one dollar even is vei*;^' insignificant in com- 

 parison with the results that come to every fruit grower through the 

 effoi-ts of the Horticultural Association of this State. 



Mr. Friday — I agree that some of us have been pretty poor for several 

 years past, but as I understand it, this raise in price will not take effect 

 until next year, and as I believe Ave are going to have in Michigan 

 this coming j-ear the most abundant crop of fruit ever raised, I for 

 one am in favor of the raise. (Applause). 



Mr. Gleason — I would like to ask the last speaker who seems to be 

 something of a prophet, what assurance there is that we are to have 

 a better crop next year than in previous years. 



Mr. Friday — If we do not have something good to look forward to 

 in the future it would be pretty hard for us, for hope is the only thing 

 we have left in Michigan to buoy up the possibility of our fruit growers 

 and all the prospects seem to indicate that our hopes will be realized. 



Mr. Gleason — It seems to me that if it can be shown that the Society 

 needs more money to carry it on successfully, then perhaps it is all 

 right to raise the fee, but if this can not be shown I do not think it 

 necessary. 



Mr. Smythe — We certainly need it. 



Mr. Bassett — You know we are talking about going before the Legis- 

 lature to ask for an approi)riation and we are up against a pretty 

 hard proposition, for this work cannot be done without funds. We 

 were as you know, cut from |1500 to flOOO and the Attorney General 

 ruled at that time that we were not even entitled to the flOOO, and we 

 would not have had it if his ruling had been carried out. We asked him 

 to as.k the legislature for a mandamus which would g^ive us. a day in 

 court to present the matter before the supreme court. If we had been 

 refused a hearing by the legislature we would not have had a day 

 in court and now I do not know as we are going to get the support 

 we anticipated for I do not know as our men and women in this Society 

 will stand by us in the matter. The strongest Soeiety in the United 

 States today is the New York Society and they do not get one cent 



