20 STATE HOBTIOULTUBAL SOCIETY. 



man's Kuial World, in which paper will be published at length the pro- 

 ceedings of the meeting. A very enjoyable feature of these meetings 

 was the music. One evening, a chorus of female voices; the next eve- 

 ning, a chorus of male voices, interspersed with solos on the cornet^ 

 accompanied by the piano and violin. By special request Mr. Clements 

 rendered the beautiful Scotch air " Annie Laurie, " on the cornet^ 

 accompanied by Mrs. Allen on the piano, which brought down the 

 house. Every one was delighted with it. 



Prominent among the members of the Society present, whom I 

 knew, was Mr, W. R. Keller, who has probably handled as much fruit 

 as any man in Missouri — commencing buying strawberries in car lots 

 in February, in Texas and other southern states, and as the season 

 advances, following the berries north until the season closes, and bo 

 with all the other fruits — having handled apples from Maine to Cali- 

 fornia. He is woU posted on the business end of fruit-growing 



Another Platte countian, Maj. J. C. Anderson, now of Independ- 

 ence, Jackson county, attended the meeting, having large interests in 

 Howell county. Mo. He is putting out 75 acres in grapes, and was 

 there to learn all he could about the business. 



Judge Samuel Miller of Montgomery county, who has almost an 

 experiment station of his own, tests all new fruits, has probably over 

 100 varieties of strawberries for trial, and is undisputed authority on 

 such matters. He is now 74 years of age and in good health, and as 

 active as many much younger men. 



Conrad Hartzell of Buchanan county, the inventor of a plan ta 

 keep apples, has kept apples in fair condition as long as four years. 

 Also the inventor of a plow, as he says, to move the earth and culti- 

 vate the lower farm — plow 16 inches deep, with a 16-inch furrow slice^ 

 with three mules or horses. 



I could go on and mention many more prominent persons that 

 were present, who have from 5 to 100 acres in fruit, but space forbids* 

 I write this to show our people that we are behind the times in the 

 fruit business. We have one of the best counties in Northwest Mis- 

 souri, and Northwest Missouri, the Platte purchase in particular, has 

 the best land in the world. We know it, and yet not many strangers 

 know where Platte county is. I have never yet seen a display of our 

 products at either St, Louis, Kansas City or St. Joseph fairs. You 

 will see displays of a dozen Kansas counties at our Kansas City fair^ 

 which advertises them and is worth thousands of dollars to them. We 

 should make county displays at St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph^ 

 and our citizens should contribute the funds necessary to carry it out. 

 It would pay for the county court to help liberally in this matter* 



