WINTER MEETING, 1881. 9 



tributions in money or labor, such district shall be entitled to a certificate to 

 that effect from said board, and thereupon to receive from the township treas- 

 ury the sum of $50, the same to be expended by the authorities of said district 

 in the further ornamentation of said grounds in pursuance of the plan already 

 .adopted. 



Inasmuch as the teacher of the school must almost necessarily be expected 

 to afford important aid, if not in actually conducting such suggested orna- 

 mentation, at least in preserving, and possibly in perfecting it, we suggest the 

 following with the apprehension that the qualifying of even a few teachers as 

 hereinafter indicated, would afford them so decided an advantage in the 

 securing of positions in the more desirable districts, that others would find 

 themselves almost unavoidably impelled to strive for similar qualifications; and 

 that by this means even the proposed ornamentation may finally come to be 

 •considered as an important means of illustration in the educational processes 

 ■of the school-room. The importance of the influence of any extensive 

 .adoption of these or similar ideas upon visitors to our State, and through them 

 upon the amount and character of immigration need only to be suggested to 

 be at once comprehended and appreciated. As respects the qualification of 

 teachers the following suggestions are submitted : 



When a person shall apply to the proper authority for examination as a 

 primary school teacher, and shall request to be examined as to his knowledge 

 of the essential elementary principles of horticulture and forestry as bearing 

 upon the above proposed matters, it shall be the duty of the oflficer to make 

 such examination and to specify such qualifications in the 'certificate to be 

 given in the case. 



It shall be the duty of the Normal School Board to provide an adequate 

 course of study for this purpose and to require such qualifications of all its 

 future graduates. Any previous graduate may, upon subsequent examination, 

 receive a certificate of qualification in this particular. 



INVITATIONS. 



Invitations were received to hold future meetings as follows : From the 

 Berrien County Horticultural Society to hold the June meeting at Benton 

 Harbor; from South Haven Pomological Society to hold its annual meeting at 

 .South Haven; from G. S. Woolsey, Secretary of the Calhoun County Agricul- 

 tural Society to hold some meeting in the near future at Marshall, the guests 

 of said society; from Weston Grange, through G. B. Horton, a similar invita- 

 tion; from H. W. Norton, Secretary of Farmers' Union, Hudson, Lenawee 

 county, an invitation of the same import. The invitation to hold the June 

 meeting in Benton Harbor was accepted for such date as the Berrien society 

 .should select. The remaining invitations were referred to the Executive 

 Board for further action. 



STANDING COMMITTEES. 



President Lyon called attention to the fact that our by-laws allowed us to 

 .appoint standing committees upon various departments of work, and spoke 

 ■ especially of the importance of filling the committees on the vegetable gar- 

 den and upon landscape gardening. 



Mr. Haigh spoke at some length upon the work that might be done in land- 

 . scaping by the society, and was followed by Mr. Tracy, Prof. Beal, and others. 



