Siiiiiiitcr Meetini[. 39 



'.b 



Mr. Irvine, St. Joseph, ^lo. — I am one of the fellows that you are 

 looking for. I am a consumer. So you see that I don't know very much 

 about it. Xow, you hear some say that narrow rows are just the thing. 

 I know a man who has a patch as wide as from here to the depot and 

 not a row in it. Then I know of one man who makes a great deal of 

 money that has his plants set in rows four feet apart. Let's every run- 

 ner set. Cultivates them, of course. In the fall he mulches them very 

 heavy with fertilizer. Then in the spring he rakes a part of this off 

 and leaves the rest on and lets the plants come up through. The Bubach 

 is about the best variety with him. His berries are always about 50 

 cents higher than the regular market. If berries were $2 a crate, he 

 would get about $2.50 for his. Because his are worth it. His berries 

 are always in demand. He does not have to loaf around the market 

 place to sell them. So I have come to the conclusion that there is no 

 sure thing about strawberries. Now the other man that makes so much 

 money has no rows at all in his bed ; it is all one row. The plants are 

 about 8 to 10 inches apart. He wont have any rows. He says that he 

 can pull the weeds out. Next fall he will mulch after he has gathered 

 his crop of berries. He makes just about as much money out of his 

 berries as any one else. 



The Clyde has received a black eye in our part of the country. It 

 is not fruitful enough. It has not enough foliage to hide its nakedness. 

 By the way, we have rain. We live in a good part of the State. The 

 main varieties they have there are Crescent, Capt. Jack and Wathena. 

 Hon. N. J. Colman : 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — This is very unexpected 

 indeed, I am referred to as one of the ancestors of this Society. I want 

 to say that I feel as proud of that honor, if I ever received any honors, 

 as of any that I ever received in my life. In 1856 or "57, I issued a call 

 for the organization of a State Horticultual Society. We met in Jeff- 

 erson City and organized and have been a society ever since that time. 

 I had the honor of being elected President of the Society. I was a 

 young man then, just starting out in life, but I saw great possibilities 

 for fruit culture here. I thought it the best State for all kinds of fruit. 



I always feel pleased when I can meet with friends of the Horticul- 

 tural movement and when I am permitted to see such interesting meet- 

 ings as this one, and when I look over so many gray heads here this 

 morning, I feel proud that I had the opportunity of being the father 

 of this organization. When I see you assembled as you have liere, tak- 

 ing into consideration what varieties are best suited here and those best 

 suited there, the cultivating, the good you can do by not only helping 

 yourselves, but the farmers of our State, I rejoice at it. 



