2 STATE HORTICULTURAL S0CIJ:TY. 



successful settlers. These men rarely write essays for reviews or articles for 

 the newspapers ; but when gathered in council they give freely their experience 

 and couple with it statistical information of great value to others. This is 

 garnered into a report and publislied and sent out. Our capabilities are 

 advertised more effectively than in any other way. The men and women who 

 have added to this work ouglifc certainly to be the ones who should be 

 rewarded by the State in preference to any others, and this, as I understand it, 

 is just what we are aiming at in our plan of distribution. Can there be a truer 

 policy than this? And are we not justified in holding our volumes for the 

 organization and maintenance of the societies that are willing to do the work I 

 have indicated. In saying this my object is to open the question so that if 

 there are varying views we may have them to aid in such a modification of our 

 system as will commend itself to all, if possible." 



A. S. Partridge, Flushing: The volumes of this society are very valuable, 

 and in our section those who have them would not part with them for a great 

 deal. I am satisfied that there is sufficient interest in horticulture in Genesee 

 county to support a society devoted to tliis important interest, and the volumes 

 could be employed in furtherance of this design. 



B. F. Partridge, Bay City: For a number of years I have received boxes of 

 these books, paid the freight on them, and spent more or less time in trying to 

 get them into the hands of the people who needed them. This year tlie box 

 was sent containing the quota for Bay county, and with a letter asking that we 

 form a branch society and use the volumes in building up and sustaining it by 

 making each member entitled to one. The idea struck me favorably, and this 

 is the way we purpose doing up there ; it is the right way. A man who will 

 not turn over his hand to aid the horticulture of this State ought not to have a 

 volume of our proceedings. It is the men and women who do some work that 

 should have them, and then I fear there will not be enough to go around. 



N. E. Smith, Ionia: Give the ones who are willing to aid in this work, and 

 be sure they are supplied before throwing them away upon people who will 

 only use them for scrap books. In Ionia a good many of us value these reports 

 next to our Bibles, and we have been willing to come to the support of the 

 Society actively to aid in the continuance of its good work, and I think the 

 list of life members from our county will bear me out in this statement. I 

 am glad to see our Society taking measures that will secure, if possible, every 

 volume that is issued to some person who needs it and is willing to aid in our 

 work. 



Geo. E, Steele, Traverse City: I have served my time in paying freight and 

 distributing our volumes. They have done a good deal of valuable work in our 

 county, too. We have not much surplus of money there but I am strongly in 

 favor of any plan by which the burdens of maintaining the high character of 

 our work shall be more evenly distributed. Let each one who receives a vol- 

 ume pay something toward the support of his local and State society and 

 thereby help to render each year's transactions as valuable as those which have 

 gone before. 



Chas. E. Reeves, Benton Harbor : I have had some experience in this' report 

 business; have seen volumes sold at ten cents apiece to pay the freight, and I 

 am thoroughly glad that we are getting at some system by which the people 

 who need them and are willing to help support their issue can have them in 

 preference to any one else. They are too valuable to be thrown away, and 

 every volume issued will be wanted by people especially interested in fruit 



