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intensely American to submit gracefully to that — but organization 
rather, and that of some loose and perfectly flexible form, which will leave 
each entirely free to meet the special requirements of his individual 
work, but will at the same time help to concentrate and coordinate the 
surplus effort which all, or several, may be willing to contribute to the 
accomplishment of common ends. For this purpose I would suggest a 
system of what we may call volunteer committees. Let an association 
committee on cooperation propose a list of subjects for which in its 
judgment cooperative effort is desirable. Let this list be discussed and 
amended, if need be, by the association at its fullest me eting, and 
increased or changed from time to time thereafter, and then let volun- 
teers offer for the the various subjects, some to work singly on topics 
of general interest (from which others should then withhold their 
hands), and some to combine for purposes requiring combination. Each 
volunteer committee would naturally report progress to the general 
committee previous to our annual meetings, aud the geueral committee 
would make a general report in turn to the association itself, with such 
recommendations as the experience of the year might indicate. As sub- 
jects were satisfactorily completed, the results would be presented to 
the association for publication, or published independently in the bul- 
letins or reports of those engaged in the work, as might be desired. 
I venture to think that in some such way we may obtain all the 
essential benefits of organization without any surrender of individua 1 
initiative, and without hampering ourselves in any respect. 
But whatever may be your decision on these general matters, and 
whatever form the general policies of this association may finally 
assume, our strength is now and will always be in the ability, skill, 
activity, and public spirit of our individual membership, and in these 
particulars I need not say that we have every reason for satisfaction 
with the past aud encouragement for the future. I congratulate you 
most heartily, ladies and gentlemen, on the solid and useful character 
of the year's work just past, and on the brilliant prospects of this, the 
fifth regular meeting of our association. 
The address was discussed by Messrs. Osborn, Smith, and Webster. 
Mr. Osborn thought that laws requiring farmers to destroy insect 
pests appearing on their farms could be made effective, and gave the 
operation of the Canada thistle law in Iowa as an example. He thought 
that such laws should apply in all cases only to such pests for which 
good remedies could be recommended. The Fall Web-worm could, he 
thought, be easily controlled in his State if everyone was required to 
destroy it whenever it appeared on his place. 
Mr. Smith spoke of the difficulty of inducing many farmers to take 
any precautions in checkiug the injuries of insects, and thought that 
laws requiriug them to give attention to such matters could not be 
euforced. The weed law of ^N"ew Jersey was mentioned as an example 
of the ineffective working of such laws. He was of the opiuion also that 
