BANQUET TO GARDENERS. 43 
produce so much flesh; I wonder if a time will ever come 
when we can feed our vegetables so that they will be coarse 
and watery or fine and firm in quality. We ought to have 
this knowledge ; why can we not, Mr. Chairmaay know more 
how to food our fruit trees? we need to. Will our 
schools and experiment stations solve this question for us? 
We ought to know how to breed our fruits, our flowers, 
our plants; we ought to know what sort of apples to cross 
to get a certain quality of fruit; we ought to know what 
sort of pears to breed from to get a good winter pear, or 
one of the size of Duchess and quality of Seckel; we ought 
to know how to breed our fruits so as to produce the best 
results, or any desired results we are seeking, and we want 
you scientists to tell us how to do these things. 
We also want new people to come in all over the state and 
share in the opportunities in this work that are offered 
throughout the state of Missouri. I tell you, there are 
opportunities offered for new men, new workers, all over 
our state, such opportunities too as are seldom offered to 
any people, and we want them to come in from all over the 
United States; we need the assistance of every one who is 
interested in horticulture ; we need the assistance of every 
one who is interested in the growing of vegetables. Are 
you growing vegetables? Are you growing plants? Are 
you growing small fruits? Are you growing larger 
fruits? Are youa landscape gardener? Are you a florist? 
Are you a seedsman? If so, we want every one of you in- 
terested in this part of the work, viz., the development of 
our interests in this grand state of ours. The Missouri State 
Horticultural Society has been trying for the last eight or 
ten years to get as many of these interests as possible 
united. When we can accomplish this we will move for- 
ward in a body and not have only to present the needs of 
the Society, but we can then show the men who will fulfill 
these needs. 
We need, lastly, love for this work. When a man be- 
comes interested enough in horticultural pursuits so as to 
ee ee ee a 
