8 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



York would have at least a climatic advantage, while it would at the same time 

 avoid all probable complications of a trans-foreign character. 



Under these circumstances the committee advise that measures be taken to 

 bring this matter to the consideration of persons representing the other inter- 

 ests spoken of, and if practicable bring the project in shape to command the 

 attention of the legislature at the coming session. Steps have already been 

 taken to obtain the statistical results of the present census at the earliest prac- 

 ticable date for use in this connection. 



The attention of the committee has been called to the propriety of providing 

 by law for the use of stamps upon fruit packages, specifying their capacity. 

 The distrust growing out of the persistent use of "short" packages, disguised 

 in various ways to hide the shortage, often, beyond doubt, exerts an unfavorable 

 influence upon prices, even to the injury of those giving full measure, to say 

 nothing 'of the imposition upon the purchaser. 



In consideration of the importance of some of the subjects mentioned^ and 

 the possibility, not to say probability, that still others may arise, your commit- 

 tee recommend that the incoming board assign this entire subject to a commit- 

 tee, with instructions such as shall seem needful to most effectually secure the 

 results desired, viz., the laying of this subject in a practical as well as influen- 

 tial form before the incoming legislature. 



The committee also commend for careful consideration the question of the 

 propriety of bringing before the legislature in the form of a memorial, or oth- 

 erwise, the difliculties encountered by the society in the proper distribution of 

 its Transactions, with a statement of the process now in use for this purpose, 

 and the objects sought in its adoption, coupled with the request that if such 

 procedure shall be approved, it receive the sanction of that body. 



In regard to the matter of school-ground embellishment, referred to your 

 committee, we remark : 



Believing that anything that shall render the "common schools" of our State 

 more attractive, and that shall operate to throw around that impressible season 

 — the school years of the children of the State — restraining, yet attractive, 

 refining, and elevating influences, must necessarily have an important and 

 desirable bearing upon the future character of the great mass of tliose who 

 shall graduate from the "people's colleges," and who must in the near future 

 come to constitute tlie bulk of the citizenship of our country, we are 

 impelled to invite the attention of the Legislature of the State to the impor- 

 tance of adding to the attractiveness of our school buildtngs, and especially of 

 their surroundings. With reference to such improvement we submit the 

 following as hints as to a possible direction for legislation of the desired char- 

 acter, believing that the processes suggested once fairly inaugurated, would 

 themselves supply all the impetus needful for their active continuance and 

 perpetuation : 



When a school district shall become the owner in fee of a school-house site 

 of not less tiian one acre for each 40 scholars in said district, and shall have 

 constructed suitable school buildings thereon ; and further, shall have properly 

 prepared and (if needful), drained said ground, and adopted a plan for the 

 planting of the same with screens or wind-breaks, where needful, together 

 with suitable shade and ornamental trees; and when upon examination such 

 plan shall have been approved by the township board of school inspectors; 

 and when, in pursuance of such plan of ornamentation, the district shall have 

 expended in such work the sum of $50, to the satisfaction of said board, 

 whether paid for by tax upon the property of the district or by voluntary con- 



