SUMMER MEETING. 31 



the Society to pay for fruit, express and expenses in collecting of fruit, 

 which has all now been repaid to the Society. 



But the amount of money paid by our President, Mr. Evans, has 

 never been returned to him. No doubt it will be paid, but this put- 

 ting aside an honest debt is not the fair way of treating our President. 



As you all know, the medals taken at Chicago show nothing of 

 value or of instruction. There is no such thing as merit in them. 

 lEvery display worthy gets the same medal or diploma, no matter if the 

 exhibit was 1000 plates or 10,000 plates. 



The work of the Society and the Secretary is more or less that of 

 a teacher or an instructor. Some things 1 can answer, others I can- 

 not. The insect questions are referred to Miss Murtfeldt unless I am 

 very sure of the matter. 



It would astonish you to know of the questions that are con- 

 tinuously pouring in upon us. The work and experience of the last 

 120 years give us, in most instances, the correct information, but when 

 some persons demand just the best way to plant trees or vines, to 

 prune them, the surest locations, the exact time of cultivation ; the cor- 

 rect dates for each of the sprayings to be done, the exact mixture to 

 use and just how soon results will show; the best location in the State 

 for a fruit farm ; the cost of land, the cost of planting, just how soon 

 the fruits will pay: just how many bushels, quarts or lbs. of fruit you 

 can expect each year, just how much they will bring, how much per 

 cent the orchard or vineyard will pay on the investment ; where the 

 best markets are ; who are the honest commission men ; where they can 

 get good land near the railroad, how they can homestead the same ; 

 where they can buy a farm for $1000 or $3000, and how much the farm 

 will pay, so that they can at once move their family to it without ex- 

 pense of a trip ; how best to begin when they know nothing about it, 

 and can they succeed if they undertake it ; if I will go with them and 

 help locate and plant the farm ; if there is such a thing as failure in the 

 fruit business ; are there not new and better methods of growing fruits 

 so that more money can be made on the same ? if it is true that apple 

 orchards in North Missouri will pay $200 per acre ; if berries do pay 

 $1000 per acre ; where are the geological formations of such and such 

 a character ? give me the composition of the soils of South Missouri, 

 of the Missouri river bluffs, of North Missouri — and then you will begin 

 to understand some of the questions we are expected to answer. 



