160 STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



committee, which occurs early in January of each year. At their last January 

 meeting the sum allowed this society in consideration for its expenses in con- 

 nection with such an exhibit was very considerably reduced from that of former 

 years; so much so indeed, that the committee of this society felt much doubt 

 as to the propriety of accepting the proposal, which however, was finally done 

 with an implied verbal engagement respecting certain incidental expenditures, 

 which however, upon the occurrence of the contemplated emergency was quietly 

 ignored by them. The amount of the reduction spoken of was $400, which 

 sum taken from its available means while the needful expenses continued the 

 same has seriously interfered with the efficiency of the society's operations, 

 and has been the more seriously felt for the reason that an unfavorable fruit 

 season called for more than the usual expenditure of both effort and means 

 for the securing of a creditable annual exhibit. Under these circumstances 

 the question as to the abandonment or renewal of such arrangement calls for 

 the careful consideration of the society. It should be understood that with 

 us an important inducement to the continuance of an arrangnient of this sort 

 has been the fact that in so doing we are enabled to infuse into the principal 

 annual pomological exhibit of the State correct nomenclature and practice, 

 while previously it had been instead a most prolific source of error in these 

 respects, as well as of loss, both in reputation and in financial results, so far as 

 the State and its people are concerned. A proposal to continue, renew or 

 modify such arrangement for the ensuing year must be provided for, if at all, 

 by the representation of our wishes at the coming January meeting of the 

 executive committee of that society. 



The reports of officers still being in order Mr. Garfield read 



THE SECRETARY'S ANNUAL STATEMENT. 



Me. President and Members of this Society — My desire is to make this 

 annual report a concise statement of the year's work. In our volume for this 

 year 1 shall develop in various articles some special matters that have occupied 

 our attention quite fully, so they need only be referred to in this connection. 

 In matters of 



legislation. 



We began early in the year and accomplished some quite desirable things. 

 Our present yellows law combines in the enactment the suggestions of the most 

 experienced peach growers in our State. The Legislature appropriated $1,000, 

 at the earnest solicitation of our society, for the purpose of properly repre- 

 senting Michigan horticulture at the meeting of the American Pomological So- 

 ciety, in Boston, during September. The money was well expended, and from 

 Nova Scotia to Georgia, and Maine to California, they received a lasting im- 

 pression of what Michigan can do in horticulture. It is the conviction of some 

 of our strongest partisans for Michigan's progress, that money has never been 

 expended to a better purpose than this small appropriation. 



A law was enacted last winter looking toward the embellishment of our high- 

 ways upon the urgent demand of some leading members in our society. Also 

 a law for the gathering of crop reports, which contemplates the securing of 

 valuable statistical information concerning orchard products. The law which 

 provides for the publication of our annual reports was so modified as to cover 

 the whole field in which we are working, instead of only a portion of it. 



