156 STATE HOKTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



ing a great deal of attention. It was prepared, under the direction of Secre- 

 tary Garfield, as an illustration of a pamphlet entitled, ''A Glimpse at 

 Michigan Horticulture," prepared also by him and extensively distributed dur- 

 ing the exhibition, as a means of calling attention to our State. An extended 

 report of the doings of the commissioners, as well as of the transactions at 

 such meeting is in process of publication in the Michigan Farmer. 



The society is now in its second year as a horticultural association. While the 

 overshadowing interests of fruit culture in our State clearly demand that our 

 work should continue to be in an important and leading sense pomological, it 

 becomes us to consider whether our duty to those sections less exclusively pomo- 

 logical may not demand a more careful consideration at our hands than we 

 have heretofore given them ; and this, with the double purpose of arousing a 

 wider interest in the work of tlie society, while at the same time developing a 

 wider knowledge of the capacity of the State. Of this more will be said in 

 connection with particulars to be hereinafter considered. 



The society's fruit catalogue was a year since revised with more than usual 

 care, with the purpose to bring it into so complete a condition that in the 

 future the needful ciianges would probably be very few, — mainly the dropping 

 of discarded varieties and the introducing of new and valuable or promising 

 ones. At the last moment, however, the publication of the interesting and 

 valuable " Flora of Michigan," by Chas.. F. Wheeler and Erwiu F. Smith, of 

 Ionia county, was found to enlarge the annual volume of transactions quite 

 beyond the prescribed limit. For this reason a pruning of the matter for the 

 volume became needful and the republication of the catalogue of fruits was 

 omitted for the year. Observations of the manner in which the two publica- 

 tions of the catalogue have been received by the public, both of this and other 

 States, together with the fact that its plan has been adopted in whole by other 

 societies, may warrant the consideration whether it should not be more widely 

 circulated than will be possible as a part of our annual volume of transactions, 

 since the whole number of volumes entrusted to the society affords but a single 

 copy for about 300 of our population, reserving none for distribution beyond 

 the limits of the State. The society has heretofore at its own proper expense, 

 circulated the catalogue somewhat extensively, but it may fairly be supposed 

 that a very large portion of the people of the State, to say nothing of outsid- 

 ers, if aware of its existence, infer that it is only obtainable in connection with 

 our annual report, and hence to them unobtainable. With the very limited 

 means at the disposal of the society its extensive gratuitous distribution at its 

 expense is out of the question. The most natural and economical process 

 would be an authorization by the legislature of the printing and distribution 

 of extra copies of this portion of the annual volume separately. For conven- 

 ient reference, and indeed to adapt it to popular needs, the botanical catalogue 

 already spoken of should have been accompanied by a copious index, alphabet- 

 ically arranged, — an omission that may perhaps be remedied in a future repub- 

 lication. 



In connection with this, we may also call attention to the need of something 

 within the reach of the mass of our people, and more worthy of confidence 

 than the descriptive catalogues of nurserymen, that shall serve as a guide in 

 the selection and planting of trees, shrubs, and plants for the ornamentation 

 of city, village, and country ornamental grounds. Such catalogue should 

 specify hardiness, size, habit, and other peculiarities, so far as may be needful 

 to enable the purchaser to judge wisely as to the capacity of each to meet the 

 object he may have in view. Such catalogue may also very properly contain 



