48 STATE HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



Horticultural Society that Prof. Comstock be retained as government ento- 

 mologist, inasmuch as he accomplished such excellent work for horticulture in 

 his department. 



The following resolution was unanimously adopted : 



Besolved, That this society endorse the main features of the bill presented in our 

 legislature by Eepresentative Garfield, entitled "A bill to provide for marking the 

 capacity on fruit packages," and that the President do now appoint a committee of 

 three whose duty it shall be to do all in their power toward securing the passage of 

 this bill or its equivalent by ordinance in the city of Chicago and by enactment in 

 the State legislatures of Illinois and Michigan. 



The President announced as such committee S. H. Comings, chairman ; A. 

 R. Nowlend and Joseph Lannin. 



The next topic taken up for discussion was 



YELLOWS LEGISLATION. 



Secretary Garfield was called upon to explain the work done by the present 

 legislature. He spoke substantially as follows : 



In dealing with a contagious disease, whether among men, animals, or plants, 

 arbitrary measures must necessarily be taken. Men skilled in the law are very 

 careful about making police regulations to enforce a law, and hence, heretofore, 

 all legislation in regard to the disease known as the yellows has been so hedged 

 about by provisions invented by men who knew nothing about the ravages of 

 the disease, that the intent of the law has been well nigh neutralized. The 

 South Haven people who have been most persistent in the enforcement of what 

 has been termed the yellows law felt that unless some method could be taken 

 to make more summary proceedings, tlie law would be of little avail, and still 

 they feared any material innovation would be unavailing. They sent up a few 

 slight amendments to the law which were introduced in form of a bill by Sen- 

 ator Ford of VanBuren. After consulting with Mr. Ford and the representa- 

 tives from Berrien county, I concluded it would be best to build up an entirely 

 new law that would meet the wants of the peach growers. I sat down to the 

 work, and through the aid of kind friends who were more skilled in wording 

 enactments than I, a short, direct law was drawn up. Those having charge of 

 the senate bill kindly held it in abeyance until our bill should be discussed in 

 the house. The committee on horticulture reported unanimously in its favor 

 and it met with only good words on the part of the house. It was reported to 

 the senate and was quickly passed by that body, and is now a law. As far as I 

 have corresponded with peach growers concerning it I am satisfied it meets their 

 approbation. 



The following is the text of the law as it now stands : 



Section 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That it shall be unlawful for 

 any person to keep any peach, almond, apricot or nectarine tree infected with tlie 

 contagious disease known as the yellows, or to oifer for sale or shipment, or to sell or 

 ship to others any of the fruit thereof; that both tree and fruit so infected shall be 

 subject to destruction as public nuisances, as hereinafter provided, and no damages 

 shall be awarded in any court in this State for entering upon premises and destroy- 

 ing such diseased trees and fruit, if done in accordance with the provisions of this 

 act; and it shall be the duty uf every citizen, as soon as he shall become aware of the 

 existence of such disease in any tree or fruit owned by him, to forthwith destroy or 

 cause the same to be destroyed. 



Sec. 2. In any township in this State in which such contagious disease exists, or 

 in which there is good reason to believe it exists, or danger may be justly appre- 

 hended of its introduction, as soon as such information becomes known to the town- 



