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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



COERESPONDEN CE. 



THE MICHIGAN STATE HORTICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY. 



To THE Editor of the Canadian Horticulturist. 



My Dear JSir, — The annual meetings 

 of the above society were held in the 

 city of Flint, Mich., December 4th, 5th 

 and 6th, and as I was permitted to be 

 present for the first time at their meet- 

 ings, I would like to give you and ypur 

 readers a few notes regarding it and its 

 work, hoping that it may be of interest 

 to them. The city of Flint is the capi- 

 tal of Genesee County, and is one of 

 those American cities, or rather towns, 

 that to be seen is to be admired. It 

 has a wealthy population of some 10,000 

 people, and has all the advantages of 

 modern city life. It has two railroads 

 coursing through its limits, crossing 

 each other, viz., the Grand Trunk and 

 Chicago R. R. and the Flint and Pere 

 Marquette R. R., which affords it every 

 accommodation It is beautifully located 

 on an eminence bordered by the river 

 from which it took its name, which 

 river rises some distance to the east, 

 and after tracing Lapeer, Genesee and 

 Saginaw counties, empties into the 

 Saginaw river. It was formerly a noted 

 lumbering centre, but since the supply 

 is now very much reduced, its principal 

 industries are manufactures in the use- 

 ful arts, commerce, (fee. Here is one 

 of the finest buildings erected in the 

 interests pf higher education that is to 

 be found in that State, and is said to 

 have cost one hundred thousand dollai^s. 

 Here also is the noted Institute for the 

 education and training of deaf mutes, 

 where large numbers of these unfortu- 

 nates are cared for and qualified for 

 lives of usefulness. The streets of the 

 city are wide and well ventilated, and 

 everywhere made cheerful and beauti- 

 ful by being liberally planted with 

 shade and ornamental trees, mostly of 

 our choice and popular sugar maple. 



The streets are laid out at right angles 

 and the soil is high, dry, and easily 

 drained, having a gentle slope every 

 way to the river. 



The Society was holding their meet- 

 ing in Flint on the invitation of the 

 Genesee County Horticultural Society, 

 who made ample arrangements for 

 the comfortable accommodation of all 

 delegates and members who might 

 favor them with their presence, either 

 free in private houses or at reduced 

 rates at the hotels. The place of 

 the meetings was Convocation Hall, 

 in the High School building, and was 

 very ample for a large attendance, 

 and purposely decorated for the occa- 

 sion. The room was large and well 

 seated, and the walls were embellished 

 by large and handsome charts illustra- 

 tive of Prof. Real's lecture on botany, 

 entitled the " Growth of a tree." The 

 dais contained the President's and other 

 chairs and the desks for the reporters, 

 &c., and was beautifully set off by 

 many pots of ornamental green-house 

 plants, many of which were in bloom. 

 The raised fruit stands along the whole 

 width of the large hall were almost cov- 

 ered in their great extent by the largest 

 and finest display of fruits, vegetables, 

 &c., that ever I saw at a fruit meeting 

 of this kind. In fruit there were apples 

 in large quantities, pears, grapes and 

 oranges, besides dried fruit ; jelly and 

 honey, marmalades and amber syrups. 

 In vegetables there were potatoes in 

 enormous quantities, cabbages, cauli- 

 flowers, turnips, celery, &c., all of which 

 were very fine indeed, and the interest 

 taken in the display was constant and 

 great. The first sitting was opened at* 

 about eight o'clock, in presence of some 

 two or three hundred members, &c., by 

 an address of welcome by the mayor 

 of the city, and was very happy and 

 well received, the President, in the 

 chair, replying, after which Prof. A. J. 

 Cook, of the Agricultural College, 



