128 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In the beginning we expected a series of experiments would have 

 been instituted tliat would prove something, or at least give the horti- 

 culturist some information on this, one of the most important matters 

 that can come before a people, "the profitable growing of fruits." We 

 could not expect the results from all these experiments that should 

 have been instituted, but we certainly had a right to believe that 

 some results could be shown ere now, and other experiments on the 

 way to a solution. Had we not a right to at least believe that the 

 Station would test most of our varieties of small fruits, and report to 

 us those that were valuable and those that were not ? Why should 

 we not have had a series of trials of our small fruits in different parts 

 of the State ? 



But what have we from our Station that one of our fruit-growers 

 can say has proven to him the success or failure of a certain fruit, plant 

 or vine, other than information obtained from brother fruit-growers ; 

 and this given out by word of mouth, by our horticultural papers, or 

 by the State Horticultural Society ? It occurs to most of us fruit- 

 growers that the best information we have had, the most valuable ex- 

 periments, the most positive statements, the soundest foundation, the 

 most correct methods, the best educator, has been the State Horticul- 

 tural Society and its 12 reports put out duriog the last 12 years, giv- 

 ing the results of experience and observation by hundreds of different 

 fruit-growers in different parts of our State. Wherein has been the 

 trouble then in our Experiment station ? Let us look into this closely 

 and see where the trouble lies, and then, perhaps, we can outline a 

 plan that will give success. But such a plan, after being outlined, 

 must be under the control of a board and must be adhered to consci- 

 entiously and exactly. 



1. The first trouble, then, was in not laying down any plan to be 

 followed. 2. The second trouble was in not setting apart a specified 

 amount for the Horticultural department. 3. The third trouble was 

 that the man put in charge at first, Prof. Taft, was not given time to 

 put any plan into operation nor to carry it out. 4. The fourth was 

 the same trouble in the case of Prof. Clark. 5. Prof. Keffer ditto. 6. 

 Prof. Whitten, in all probability, will follow the same path. 7. The 

 next trouble was that none of these men came to the State with very 

 much experience in fruit-growing here in our western country. When 

 you realize that this State is of so much importance and its fruit in- 

 terests so extensive that we should have had a man of the widest ex- 

 perience and a most practical fruit-grower, you see the force of the 

 statement — not that a man inexperienced cannot do the work, but that 



