WINTER MEETING, 1S80. 7 



Next came the welcome address by Mayor Whelan, who spoke substantially 

 as follows : 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Pomological Society : 



I am requested to bid you welcome on behalf of Hillsdale County Agricul- 

 tural Society. I bid you welcome on behalf of the citizens of this city, and of 

 the county. It is pleasant to welcome you here, because of the good you have 

 done to the State, and because of the interest that we have in the objects of 

 your society. Our great progenitor was a pomologist. 



Your society has its effect even outside of Michigan. I see your reports- 

 quoted in the far New England States, in New York, and Canada, besides in 

 all of the adjoining States. 1 believe that this society has more than quad- 

 rupled the pomological products of this State. It is the pride of agriculture. 



You have developed the fact that you can grow a better fruit in our State 

 than can be grown in any other part of the country. It is only a few years 

 ago that the fruit districts of Michigan were only a narrow belt along the shore 

 of Lake Michigan. 



Dr. Whelan spoke of the elevation of Hillsdale county, and of the effect of 

 the thousand and one lakelets in the county, which furnish the requisite mois- 

 ture to the air, making Hillsdale county adapted to fruit culture. 



"We have found that we can produce even peaches in this county, and peaches 

 too that compare favorably with those grown on the lake shore. 



Your society has done much good in its ten or twelve years of existence, in 

 its reports of failures as well as in its reports of successes. It is equally essen- 

 tial that failures as well as successes should be reported, for failures are just as 

 good educators as successes. 



We welcome you here that you may induce a greater interest here in your 

 objects. "We hope that when you come here a few years hence you will see a 

 marked improvement in pomological interests. 



President Lyon of the Pomological Society responded as follows : 



Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Hillsdale County Agricultural Society: 



"We were hardly human were Ave not flattered by the manner in which you 

 have welcomed us. "We confess that we are flattered. I can remember that 

 when Michigan was being settled and developed there was an impression that 

 Michigan could not grow fruit successfully. It took years to disabuse us of 

 that thought, although many of us came from the fruit districts of Western 

 New York with our taste for fruit. 



It is only a few years ago that it was discovered that the St. Joe country 

 would grow good peaches, and. then we were under the impression that the 

 fruit district was limited to a very small belt, and it took a long time to 

 disabuse our minds of that impression. 



"We used to think that we must plant our orchards in low places that they 

 might be protected from the severe storms by the hills surrounding. But after 

 a long time and through progressive steps we have become disahused of that 

 idea, and now we plant them on the highest ground. There is only a small 

 portion, comparatively, of our whole country that is adapted to fruit culture, 

 and especially to peach growing, and it seems that Michigan is peculiarly 

 adapted to fruit growing. This is owing to the physical geography of the 

 State and to the adaptability of' the climate. There are no varieties that are 

 equally adapted to the whole country, or even to the whole State. These vary 

 in adaptability as the different local influences. We came here hoping to cre- 

 ate enthusiasm in horticultural subjects. 



