210 



cipal reason why the date of the convention was moved for- 

 ward from the second Wednesday in March ; i. e., so members 

 could have the full report of the meeting in time to be of use 

 the same season. 



This of course necessitated a change in the fiscal year 

 from the old date beginning with the time of the annual 

 meeting, which, being a movable day, brought about much 

 confusion, as a glance over the old stub books will confirm. 

 In fact, this confusion of "to" and "from March — " was 

 so in evidence that since the present Secretary has held office 

 he has used the word "for" in speaking of the year for 

 which the dues are paid or unpaid. With the system now 

 in force each member has a slip on which his payments are 

 entered from the list made from the stub books and the 

 standing of any member may be quickly ascertained. 



Now the time of the annual meeting being after print- 

 ing the report and after the financial year has started brings 

 about the following condition: Reports of officers, etc., etc., 

 are not printed until the next year, and the Treasurer's re- 

 I>ort is really a part of two .years so far as dues collected are 

 concerned. The remedy for all this is self evident and that 

 is to have the annual meeting at the time of the Annual Con- 

 vention, but as an incorporated body a legal home must be 

 specified and that cannot be shifted as is the Annual Con- 

 vention. Perhaps it would be wise to shift the time for 

 balancing the Treasurer's books to January first instead of 

 just before the annual meeting. This has not been done 

 heretofore because it should be remembered that the report 

 of the Boston Convention was issued immediately afterwards 

 and in that way really two reports were issued in one year. 

 Hence a financial report at that time hardly gives a correct 

 idea of the Association standing. 



In accordance with the vote of the Association the Sec- 

 retary visited an out of state convention and the Poughkeep- 

 sie meeting of the N. Y, State Fruit Growers' Association, 

 I'ebruary 18, 19, 1915 was the one attended. Owing to cor- 



