40 State Horticultural Society. 



At the time of the organization, I had a Httle different view of 

 what I have now. I thought that it was so important that every farmer 

 should produce fruit for his family, that if we had a society of this kind, 

 that all the people would go to producting fruit for their own "families. 

 I thought it would help the farmer in a great many ways. But I have 

 been most greviously disappointed. How few farmers have enough 

 fruit to even gratify the appetite, the wants of the human system. 

 How few farmers are successful in fruit raising. Some of them have a 

 small orchard of perhaps two or three acres and have fruit a small por- 

 tion of the time. But God has given us fruit for every day in the year. 

 Strawberries come first, then gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, cur- 

 rants and the grape. Then we have peaches, pears, cherries, plums, 

 apricots, quinces, apples and so on. All these are things that every 

 one in this State ought to enjoy, can enjoy, and in my young days I 

 thought would enjoy. You have come here to talk over these matters 

 wuth each other and you are doing a grand work. I beg of you to go 

 on and on in this work to encourage your sons and mothers, wives and 

 daughters to take an interest and engage in this elevating work. God 

 has planted down deep within our hearts the love for fruits and love 

 for flowers and has given us natures to consume fruit. ]\Iy parents 

 had this love and my grandfather and my grandmother did. 



I want to say that there has been a great evolution in the straw- 

 berry business. I raised the Wilson and Albany. They were produc- 

 tive varieties, solid — would stand shipment from St. Louis to New 

 York. They were fine berries. Xow, how many of you today cultivate 

 these varieties? You have passed them by? \\q\\, I want to tell you 

 that you have passed a good variety. The easiest money I ever made in 

 my life was produced by these berries. Now, with the strawberry it is 

 as everything else. We must try new things. But are we not all start- 

 ing too many new varieties ? I don't want to stop you from experiment- 

 ing. Not at all. 



AMien it comes to apples, peaches, pears and plums and cherries, 

 instead of selecting a few of the best varieties, are we not planting too 

 many varieties? Nowhere do we notice evolution as much as in apples. 

 The good old Jeneton, A'^andevere and Pryor's Red — whoever hears of 

 these now ? In my young days these were the ones that were raised for 

 market purposes. There are several other standard varieties that I have 

 forgotten. Now all these were good varieties. But where are they 

 today? \\t are growing. But still I believe that we ought to confine 

 ourselves to a few standard varieties for market purposes. Now I don't 

 want to take up your time this morning. I am very thankful to be 

 with you. I want to congratulate you on the success of this meeting 



