THE SUMMER MEETING. 13 



sent word to my daughter not to give away all her spare currants, as I was 

 determined to kill the worms if I poisoned the currants. 



By the way, I have a copy of every report issued by the Society, and if I were 

 just going on the stage instead of going off, 1 would not take $100 for these 

 volumes. 



Wishing you a prosperous meeting and many accessions to your number, I 

 am, Yours respectfully, 



E. BRADFIELD. 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 



The address of welcome was given by Mr. S. G. Antisdale, president of the 

 village of Benton Harbor, an abstract of which is here recorded, as follows : 



**It has been assigned me as president of the village, to formally introduce 

 and welcome you to the hospitalities of our happy and prosperous little village, 

 once the center of peach culture of the west, — yes, the center of attraction for 

 all lovers of fruit. Who would not be drawn to a place where the chief com- 

 modity was a fruit as delicious as the peach and one that is so inviting to the 

 taste that when it is within your grasp you cannot flee from it. You may well 

 inquire why our place is not an attractive fruit center to-day. Our queen is 

 gone. The yellows came among us and took our peaches. We were so igno- 

 rant of its terrible effects that when it attacked our fruit at the outset we really 

 thought we had a new variety of peach, and very much delighted over our new 

 found treasure we commenced to bud from the very trees that should have been 

 looked upon as we look upon the most venomous reptile that crawls, and should 

 have hurled them into the fiery furnace where the disease might be consumed. 

 In our ignorance we soon found, instead of a new variety of peach, we had 

 something destructive to the tree itself, and of such a contagious character that 

 most of the orchards were infected ; before a remedy was declared the orchards 

 had all to succumb to the fatal disease. Yet we are not discouraged, and with 

 the enforcement of our new law in relation to tiie yellows, we hope to again 

 raise peaches in abundance for the market, and regain our old time prominence 

 in peach culture. Still, we claim, with all our misfortunes, to be in the center 

 of the greatest market fruit region in Michigan, Statistics would plainly indi- 

 cate this had they been gathered for the purpose. St. Joseph and Benton Har- 

 bor export great quantities of small fruits, and in this work there may be some- 

 thing for those to learn who visit us at this meeting. But we hope and expect 

 to receive more than we give. 



We are very glad to see that the question of fruit packages is to be canvassed 

 during this convention. It is an all important one to us, and we desire the 

 State society and all fruit growers to unite with us in the attempt to secure uni- 

 formity in size of fruit packages, and the stamping of capacity upon them. 



The programme is a very excellent one, and our people will contribute to the 

 discussions as their experience and observation dictate. The State society is 

 cordially welcome to our town, and we hope when you leave us it will be with a 

 feeling of good nature and gladness that you came. 



President Lyon responded in his usually happy vein, recalling pleasant inci- 

 dents in the growth of Michigan horticulture for above fifty years of his life in 

 this State. 



