STATE POMOLOGICAI, SOCIETY. 23 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



Members of the Maine State Pomoloyical Society ai'd Friends: 

 It is fitting at the opening business session of this our forty- 

 eighth annual gathering that we remember the faces of those 

 formerly active but now absent. Whether they have passed on, 

 or because of ill health or the infirmities of age are not able 

 to join in these services for the promotion of pomology, they 

 should, at this time, be recalled and their devotion to the best 

 interests of the State stir every one to a deeper enthusiasm in 

 preparing for the work of another year. One fact cannot be 

 too strongly impressed, that, in spite of adverse conditions, in 

 spite of drouth, extreme heat and early frosts, the record of 

 191 1 places Maine at the head of all the states in percentage 

 of yield of all crops adapted to thi^ climate. Over and over 

 again has this truth been demonstrated, still we are not yet 

 alive to its significance. It is high time for a complete inven- 

 tory of our industrial blessings. When that is taken, chief 

 among them will be found the fruit possibilities of the State. 

 It is criminal to paint unnatural pictures or hold out too highly 

 colored inducements, but it surely is necessary that the actual 

 facts be realized as they are not to-day. even by the most suc- 

 cessful growers. There is a fruit belt in Maine, the outlines of 

 which must be more distinctly marked. There are varieties 

 best adapted to different localities and these should be deter- 

 mined for the greatest good of future grower.s. There are 

 soil conditions most in harmony with the best development of 

 specific varieties and these must be made more pronounced by 

 actual tests that future orchards may be rightly planted. This 

 problem of adaptability of soil to different varieties is one of 

 the most perplexing problems facing the student, yet upon its 

 solution will rest the future development of the industry. 



