FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 205 



GRAND RIVER VALLEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



OFFICERS. 



J. Pomeroy Munson ______ President. 



Mrs. M. E. Campbell - - - - - - Vice-President. 



George Welsh - - - - - - Secretary-Treasurer. 



Chas. W. Wilde 



Chas. W. Garfield 



Wm. N. Cook [ - - - - - - Executive board. 



George E. Rowe 

 John B. Martin J 



The Grand River Valley Horticultural Society was organized in 1874, and monthly 

 meetings have been held during the past 36 years, usually at the homes of members. It 

 is the purpose of this Society, through its discussions and influence, to create and main- 

 tain an interest in pursuit of the various branches of horticulture. While commercial 

 ideas and methods are given attention, the emphasis is placed on the influence that the 

 love of horticulture can be made to exert upon the home life, the betterment of the city 

 and the attractiveness of the countryside. 



In discussing the work of the Society during 1910, Secretary Griffen said in part: "The 

 society is closing the 36th year of its activities and who can undertake to measure the 

 mighty influences for good that have gone forth during these years? While most of the 

 topics discussed during the past year have been of the practical sort, it is significant that 

 some of the most satisfying afternoons have been spent in following the speakers along 

 lines of 'Good Fellowship,' 'Optimism,' 'Faith,' 'Rehgion,' and the other topics which 

 though vital are not supposed to be bread and butter topics in the pursuit of horticulture. 

 The finer and higher side of living, rather than mere mechanical work in the garden and 

 field, has received the emphasis." 



The long life and the unmeasureable usefulness of the Society have been due to the 

 efforts of a band of nature lovers, many of whom have passed into the gardens beyond 

 our ken in recent years. 



Chas. W. Garfield, who still energizes and vitalizes the Society, and has kept the organ- 

 ization going during its darkest days, writes of its work as follows: 



The Grand River Valley Horticultural Society was organized in the city of Grand Rapids 

 in 1874 and has from the beginning maintained monthly meetings. It has been a very 

 useful factor in awakening an interest in those attributes of farm and urban home life 

 which emanate to the realm of horticulture. 



For some years it was purely a fruit growers' society, and its meetings were held through 

 the kindness of Mr. S. L. Fuller in a room adjoining his bank. Afterward the meetings 

 convened in the office of the county superintendent of the poor in the county building. 



Following this period, through the kind offices of Mr. D. P. Clay, a farmers' club room 

 was arranged in this building for the use of the horticultural society and like organizations. 

 After the new court house was built, a room was assigned to the Farmers' Club and for 

 years the meetings convened in this room. A library was established and a museum 

 started. 



We found that the ladies did not attend the meetings in this apartment although pro- 

 grams were often arranged with reference to securing their assistance, and as a result of 

 this experience, the society started the plan of holding its meetings at the homes of the 

 members of the society. These members were some of them in the city but the majority 

 of them were located in the country. 



The spring, summer and autumn meetings convened in the country and the winter 

 meetings were held in the city. From the adoption of this plan, the Society took on new- 

 life, as the attendance has always been satisfactory. 



At the organization of the Society, there was but one florist who took any interest in 

 its deliberations and he was also interested in fruit growing, but regularly presented at 

 the meetings the products from his greenhouse. This gradually led to the consideration 

 of a broader range of topics and the Society changed from a fruit growers association into 

 a horticultural society covering the whole field. The kitchen, garden, the greenhouse, 

 the landscape about the home, the outside flower garden, all to have their full share in the 

 programs arranged for the various meetings. Gradually the evolution of the Society 

 led to the consideration of topics more particularly connected with home life, and for some 

 years, horticulture in its relation to home life, has been the main thought in the arrange- 

 ment of the annual schedules of topics. The exhibits at the various meetings have con- 

 curred in this thought. 



