STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 39 



say the pioneer fruit growing society in Quebec, that is the local 

 society where I was born and brought up — Abbotsford Fruit 

 (irowers' Association — of which I have always been a member. 

 This little local society was organized when I was in my boy- 

 hood, and has always done efficient work up to the present time. 

 It was one of the first in getting a grant from the Government 

 and holding a little local exhibition and working up the fruit lists 

 and getting them in satisfactory condition. At the present time 

 its usefulness is about at an end because it has fulfilled the mis- 

 sion it was first intended for, that is, to get the fruit lists and 

 fruit into shape and to know what we have. Now the general 

 feeling is we w^ant to spread out and compete with the outside 

 world more. Steps are being taken at the present time to amal- 

 gamate all these little local exhibitions in the Province of Quebec 

 and to have a provincial exhibition. 



Secondly, I would just bring you greetings from the Quebec 

 Pomological Society and Fruit Growing Ass'n. That has been 

 in existence some sixteen years and I happen to be a charter 

 member. That association is very much like yours here. We 

 hold a summer meeting and a winter meeting. It also has done 

 very eificient w^ork. It was practically at the bottom of all these 

 late innovations in the way of fruit inspection and Fruit Marks 

 Act, and other advantages which I consider we have over Maine 

 at the present time. And this Association is a little bit dissatis- 

 fied now and we are taking steps at the present time to have this 

 a Dominion Fruit Growers' Association, so that all the different 

 parts of the Dominion of Canada will meet in a winter meeting 

 like this and show their fruit and be able to compare it and to 

 know what other people are doing. The work will thus no 

 doubt be to the great advantage and benefit of the fruit growers, 



