160 STATE HOETIOULTUBAL SOCIETY. 



as well as in other places where our fruits have been exhibited; but 

 briefly, I will take our present fruit exhibit at the Exposition at St. 

 Louis, where for 40 days our State Horticultural Society has kept on 

 exhibition from 120U to 2000 plates of Missouri fruits. This fruit 

 which I show to you now is a specimen of said fruits, taken from the 

 Exposition exhibit, except two or three plates of local growth. Thi» 

 exhibit at St. Louis, while it cost much care and anxiety to those who 

 have had it in charge (they did their work well) — I say the exhibit was 

 a care, and so it was, as not only thousands and tens of thousands of 

 our own people of this State viewed it in all its grandeur, but many 

 more thousands from all over the United States, and some foreigners- 

 thrown in, viewed with delight this wonderful exhibit of fruits from 

 grand old Missouri. 



SOME WANTS OF HORTICULTURISTS. 



But to the lessons of the hour; are we improving them"? The 

 horticulturists of the State are asking that, commencing with another 

 year of fruitage, experiments be started and carried out in the way of 

 fertilizing, pollenizing and cross-breeding of our hardy fruits, seeking^ 

 thereby an improvement upon even our very best varieties of apples^ 

 pears, etc. We believe it is possible, and the horticulturists of the 

 State are waiting and watching to see if the good people of Columbia, 

 who are in charge of the experimental work, will not take up this line, 

 and by so doing lead us, the horticulturists of Missouri, out into light, 

 where we now are groping in the dark. We ask, why cannot the apple, 

 the peach, the pear and other fruits be improved upon by this line of 

 work of cross-fertilization until they become standard or thoroughbred, 

 the same as is brought about in all other lines of breeding 1 Why can 

 we not, by selections from our largest and most perfect specimens of 

 our hardiest fruits, and at the same time the strongest and hardiest 

 trees, not start this line of work? From these results then commence 

 propagation from such stock, and soon there will be a letup to the 

 decaying of trees at the roots, tree blights and an early decay of trees^ 

 in our orchards. Has not this early decay of trees come from the 

 reckless way of collecting seeds from the poorest specimens of imma- 

 ture fruits — imperfect peach seed from the canning factories and such 

 establishm'ents, and apple seefls from the cider mills, where nothing 

 but the poorest of the orchards ever go ? And this is all done because 

 our nurserymen, as a class, call it cheap, instead of being just as care- 

 ful in selecting peach and apple seed as the farmer is in the selection 

 of his seed of corn, wheat, etc., or the gardener of his seeds. 



