^©<^p Affiliated ^ocietic?. ^ 



Advantages of an Affiliated Hor- 

 ticultural Society. 



Sir. — Would you kindly furnish me with 

 •lie following points of information re Affili- 

 ated Horticultural Societies in their relation- 

 .sliip to the Ontario Fruit Growers' Associa- 

 tion? 



1. Are these societies founded on Provin- 

 cial Acts, or on a constitution formulated for 

 the purpose ? 



2. If a society on the old plan now exists 

 in a town, how can it be changed or affiliated 

 with your society ? 



3. Describe the exact terms of relationship 

 existing between an affiliated society and 

 your society. 



4. What part of the collected funds goes 

 to the parent society, and what advantages 

 come to them by virtue of their relationship 

 with the Ontario Association ? 



5. By what means are the greatest advan- 

 tages secured to the members of each society, 

 by internal draft or by initiation fees ? 



6. If the plan of affiliation is successful or 

 helpful to local societies, how is it that this 

 is not more generally known and everywhere 

 adopted ? 



If a constitution is needed, send an example 

 copy. 



This is a matter in which we could be easily 

 much interested, and in this town of some 

 three or four thousand people, we should be 

 delighted with such a society working suc- 

 cessfully amongst us. Please give whatever 

 information you have at hand bearing on the 

 matter, and it will lie most thankfully re- 

 ceived. 



B. GOTT. 

 Slrathroy, On/., March loth, 1S97. 



(i) Horticultural Societies are or- 

 ganized under the provisions of the 

 Agriculture and Arts Act of 1895, and 

 the Agriculture and Arts Amendment 

 Act of 1896. 



(2) By alteration of by-laws as pro- 

 vided by Section 13. (Note. — This 

 must be done by the members of the 

 society, not by the Board of directors). 



(3) The members of an affiliated 

 society, besides being entitled to every 

 privilege of membership in the Fruit 

 Growers' Association, receives the bene- 

 fit, once a year, of a free lecture on 

 some horticultural topic. 



(4) Eighty cents per annum for each 

 member. The free lecture mentioned 

 in last paragraph, the Monthly Magazine. 



(5) By the expenditure of its funds 

 as provided by sub-divisions (a) (b) (c) 

 (d) and (e) of subsection (2) of section 

 (9) of the Act. The premiums men- 

 tioned in sub-division (e) being nomi- 

 nal only. And also, otherwise ; see 

 sub-section (3) section (9). The words 

 " by internal draft or by initiation fees " 

 are not understood. 



(6) The members and all others 

 interested in the district and township 

 agricultural societies, as also horticul- 

 tural societies which had existed for 

 perhaps twenty years or more, were fully 

 impressed with the idea that the sole 

 object of their organizations was to hold 

 an exhibition once a year. Of late years 

 the fact became apparent that these 

 exhibitions, as conducted, had not ad- 

 vanced the objects contemplated by the 

 Act. Three or four years ago an effort 

 was made to have a few horticultural 

 societies established and conducted 

 more nearly in accordance with the 

 Act. This course was regarded by 

 most persons who were consulted as 

 chimerical, on the principle that it was 

 next to impossible to remove from the 

 public mind such a deep seated impres- 

 sion. The societies organized and 

 worked on this basis now number about 

 thirty, and, judging from late develop- 

 ments, there is good reason for believ- 

 ing that the plan has passed its trial 

 stage, and has become a decided suc- 

 cess. 



SiMCOE.— Mr. D. W. Beadle, of To- 

 ronto, lectured to us on the evening of 

 the 9th March. His subject was " The 

 Production of New Varieties of Fruits 

 and Flowers by Cross-Breeding." Af- 



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