FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 49 



from the State, and they charge |2.00 and you cannot get into their 

 front door nntil you have paid your |2.00. (A voice-'' And it is worth 

 it too ) As for mvself, I do not care for the salary. One dolh^r is 

 nothing as compared with what many save on tlieir orders of lime and 

 sulphur and their products which they purchase from the Society. 1 

 flrinlv believe that this Society should be on a ])lane where if we ever 

 had to go to the people for our support, there will be a ready response 

 I believe we could adopt the New York plan. Something that don t cost 

 anvthing isn't worth anything. It is no more than right that the man 

 vrho receives the benefits of the Society should be willing to pay for 

 these benefits, but if no charge is made for them and they are had with- 

 out cost, they are not appreciated as they should be. Ion go to the 

 New York Societv and the man who puts |2.00 into the treasurer s hand 

 says to himself, '"'I am going after that |2.00 worth and I expect to get 



it " 



And I want to tell you that you never saw a livelier horticultural 

 meeting in your life than they have there. They do something, and 

 the results that accrue to the members are very great as compared with 

 the membership if even though it is |2.00. , 



^Ye have here bought on the co-operative plan and all the materials 

 we have furnished at much cheaper rates than they could be had for 

 in the regular way. We bought potash last year for |3.00 less than 

 it cost the company when they supplied it ; but if they are so anxious for 

 onr business that they will pay us p.OO for shipping the goods to us 

 1 think we have the warranty in asking for the advance, and I believe 

 the society can use the extra money to a very good advantage. 



Mr. Hale — I would like to hear from some of these old members. I 

 have been a member of this Society for twenty-two years and I expect 

 to coutinue to be a member as long as I am in the fruit business. During 

 all this time I have taken an active part in the work and now I want to 

 sav that for what Mr. Bassett is saving for the members of this Society 

 ih'ey could well afford to pay |5.00 a year. I would like to hear from 

 Mr. Oook, Mr. Garfield and others. 



A Member — I have no desire to clip the wings of these officials. No 

 efficient mechanic can work without tools. I Avant it understood that 

 I am going to follow this Society no matter what the membership rate 

 may be. I simply want this to a]>pear plain when this question is put 

 to a vote. 



Mr. Garfield — I am prond of the Michigan State Hoi-ticultural So- 

 ciety. Its standing and record are on a par with any other state or 

 organization of its kind. I do not want to be responsible for the effort 

 to cheaiien this society as compared with other Societies, and 

 there is no other Society that I know of that has a mem- 

 bership fee of less than one dollar. We cheapen the So- 

 ciety when we have a fee of only fifty cents. Then when it is known 

 that every fifty cents that is put in comes straight back to us it seems 

 to me that simply as a matter of investment we cannot afford to pay 

 less than this amount and I am strongly in favor of the resolution to 

 raise the price of membership to one dollar. 



Mr. Cook— Having had considerable experience in connection with 

 the inside workings of the Society, I know what it means to be shy of 

 money with which to carry out the purposes and aims of the Society, so 

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