it that, in some places, pear and plum trees have been fruitful and in others barren, if not destroyed root and branch? Is it due to some local protection, or modifying influence, or is it the result of the physical condition of the trees themselves, produced by the character of the soil, manner of growth, mode of culture, etc.? I am inclined to believe that in many instances it is the latter. It is with our trees as with the human constitution in a malarious and sickly climate; if the vital energies, the tone of the system, are kept in good condition, we are strong to endure and repel the shafts of disease, but let there be any undue excitement or development, any relaxation or weakening of the system and we fall an easy prey to the destroyer. The investigations of our committee of observation may give us some light on these points.

REPORTS OF FRUIT-DISTRICTS.-Reports will be presented fre m most of the fruit-districts into which the State was divided at our last meeting. The great benefit which would result to the cause of horticulture from the faithful and thorough performance of the labor assigned to this committee of observation, should lead us to consider in what way its efficiency can best be promoted, and the desired results be obtained. Some of the districts seem too large to admit of the proper discharge of the duties devolving on the observer, without its becoming an unwarranted tax upon his time and pocket. Quite a large number of applications have been made to me during the year, for facts and statistics relating to horticulture in this State, to which it was impossible to reply for the want of means to obtain the desired information. This has suggested the query whether it would not be possible by extending our plan of districts, or by local and county horticultural and agricultural societies, or both, to collect full reports on all matters relating to horticulture.

CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.-The question of the creditable representation of the horticultural productions of our State at the Centennial Exhibition is an important one, and one in which we all feel a great interest; some action should be taken with reference to it. It seems important that the selecting, arrangement, and in part at least, the exhibition of the articles should be under the supervision of this society, rather than of private individuals or the general State board of commissioners. The state of our finances will not warrant our incurring much expense for this purpose, but the bill introduced in the legislature appropriating $25,000, to se

cure a worthy representation of our State and its resources will doubtless pass, and if the wishes of the society are made known to the State Centennial Board, they will doubtless grant the needed aid.

FINANCES.-I would call your attention to the financial condition of the society. The funds in our treasury are diminishing from year to year, and unless some measures are taken to prevent, we shall soon become bankrupt. The only present sources of revenue we have are the membership-fees, and the small amount that remains each year from unawarded premiums; and by our efforts to draw out full exhibitions at the fairs, and our want of effort to increase our membership, we are lessening the amount thus received. In view of the condition of our treasury and the increased rates of postage, would it not be advisable, in distributing our Transactions through the mail, to send them at the expense of the members, rather than of the society?

MEMBERSHIP. The list of our members is very small; so small, in fact, as to make it a question of policy whether it had not better be left out of our printed volume. It certainly is not creditable to the society or the people of our State. Cannot we, as members, remedy this by personally soliciting our acquaintances and friends who are interested in horticulture to join with us? If each one would regard this as a part of his duty to the society, our numbers would be largely increased.

LOCATION OF ANNUAL MEETING.-Early in the season, an invitation was sent to the society to hold its present annual meeting at Tomah, as the guest of the Lemonwier Valley Horticultural Society. On conferring with President Tuttle, it was thought best to ascertain by correspondence the opinion of the executive board and other members of the society, with reference to accepting this invitation. Letters were accordingly sent; a few stated they were in favor of calling the meeting at Tomah, but the majority were averse to any change at present; and, inasmuch as there is no authority given by the constitution to the executive board to determine the place of holding the annual meeting, and no precedent allowing the president to call it at other than the usual place, unless so instructed by the society, it was deemed advisable to meet here as usual, and refer the question of holding our future meetings in different parts of the state to the society for decision. There are some reasons why it would be preferable to have a fixed location,

a home, where the society can hold its annual meetings; but as long as these meetings are the only ones held for public addresses and discussions, the public good, as well as the prosperity of the society, seems to demand that they should be held in different parts of the State, where the good resulting from them may be enjoyed by the largest number. And let me ask, is it not time for the society to take a new departure in this respect, and by an extension of its field of labor, to increase its influence?

It has been repeatedly said, that as now composed, "the society is almost wholly made up of professional nurserymen, who come here year after year with an axe to grind," and while those who have known you, personally, and in your connection with the society from its organization to the present time, are convinced that you make your personal interests conform to the good of the public, and that it is mainly owing to your untiring zeal and self-sacrificing labor that so great progress in horticulture has been made in our State, yet there are many, and I am sorry to say, some who are regarded as intelligent inen, who think your labors here are mainly in your own interests. This impression seriously effects your influence, your business, and the good of horticulture itself. Were we to hold meetings in different parts of the State, this evil would be remedied; larger numbers would meet with us; new members would join the society and give it new life and efficiency. We would thus bring into the society what we greatly need,more fruitgrowers, commercial orchard-men, farmers, and those who make a specialty of small fruits and other branches of horticulture, yes, and more nurserymen and tree-peddlers too, if you please; all could work together giving and getting good.

The main reason given by those opposed to changing the place of our annual meetings, is that being, in a measure, dependent upon the aid and co-operation of the legislature and State Agricultural Society, we should hold our meetings where we can readily confer with them; and that here we meet with the representative men of the State, show them what we are doing and enlist their sympathies in our work.

A plan has been suggested, which, if feasible, seems well calculated to meet our wants, and to harmonize all interests: It is to hold two meetings for public discussion; one in the early part of winter, at such time and place as may be deemed most desirable;

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the other, here at the time fixed by our constitution. It may be regarded as a serious objection to this arrangement that the horticulturists, notwithstanding all their scheming, have not been very successful in lining their pockets with greenbacks, and might find it too much of a tax on their means as well as time.

JOINT CONVENTION.-There is another matter which has a bearing on this subject and should be taken into consideration in deciding it. The agricultural convention meets here about the time of our annual meeting. Some of our members attend both meetings, and more would, could they afford the time and money. At the request of quite a number of our members, an effort was made to arrange it so that the two conventions should be held the same week; but on consulting with Mr. Field, secretary of the Agricultural Society, he thought it would not be advisable, for the reason, that the time of our annual meeting and the meeting of their executive board are fixed by the respective constitutions on the same date, and the amount of business to be transacted by their board will not permit its members to attend a convention the same week. On talking the subject over, it was thought that arrangements might be made to hold a joint convention, if agreeable to both societies, the week of our annual meeting, a certain portion of the time, either consecutive or otherwise, as best suited their wishes, being assigned to each; and it was decided, if you thought it feasible to meet hereafter early on Tuesday, so as to transact the regular business of the society, with perhaps a short business session during the week, and go into convention Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, taking exclusive charge of it that day and perhaps part of the next, the subject should be presented to the agricultural board, and they would probably arrange it so as meet hereafter early on Tuesday and go through their business so as to join us on Thursday. It may be regarded as an objection by some that by this arrangement we shall miss the homelike, social feeling of our society meetings; but will it not be compensated for by a larger sphere of usefulness and the greater amount of benefit conferred and received? In this way we should probably secure reduced fare on the railroads, and could attend the two sessions proposed at a small increase of expense over the present arrangement. Perhaps I should ask pardon for speaking of this subject at such length; my excuse is, that necessity is laid upon us to move on; we cannot stand still, we must advance or fall behind.

PREMIUM SEEDLINGS.-The first five years of trial prescribed for testing the seedling apples competing for the premiums offered by the society has expired, and the records show that the variety exhibited by Mr. Geo. P. Peffer is entitled to the award. Permit me to suggest that if this premium on seedlings is to be continued, it would be advisable to adopt some scale or degree of merit to which they must conform as to hardiness and quality; either equal to or better than our iron-clads; and that a record be kept, giving a full description of the varieties, their appearance and quality during the period of their trial, so as to guard against mistake, or awarding the premiums without sufficient proof of merit. We have an abundance of good varieties now, what we want is something equal to or even better than our best; something which we can place in the first list and safely recommend.

POMOLOGICAL EXHIBITION-As already stated the exhibition of fruit made by the society at the meeting of the American Pomological Society was very creditable to the State, and, considering the unfavorable year, was a matter of surprise even to those who made the collection. Perhaps it is enough to say that we did well, but we could have done even better, especially in grapes, had some of our leading cultivators been willing to send samples of their fruit. In apples, our display was far the largest in variety of any of the states. The third Wilder medal was awarded us for "greatest display of fruit." Mr. J. C. Plumb, chairman of the exhibition committee, will give us a very interesting report of the exhibition. Of the $100 appropriated by the society to defray the expenses of the exhibition, $67.50 were forwarded to the committee in charge, of which they inform me there is about $20 unexpended, and to be refunded to the treasury.

EXHIBITION AT STATE FAIR-The superintendent of the horticultural department at our State Fair, Mr. George J. Kellogg, will give us a full report of the exhibition there. The amount of premiums paid for fruits and flowers is as follows: To professional cultivators of fruit, $234.50; to non-professional cultivators, $208.50; professional cultivators of flowers, $108.50; non-professional, $144,50. Total, $696; leaving a balance due the society of $104.

TRANSACTIONS.-It would greatly add to the interest and value of our yearly volume of transactions, were it to contain more complete reports of the discussions at our meetings, and also full accounts of