174 State Htirticultural Society. 



been growing frnit. If I remember, last spring the soil was full of 

 moisture. Our trees bloomed out in fine shape, and the fruit set well, 

 and then all at once it commenced to get dry, and it got drier and 

 drier, and the first of August we began to get some rain, and by that 

 time, I think I am safe in asserting that our winter varieties of apples 

 were not over one-half, possibly three-fourths, of an inch in diameter. 

 I question whether they would average that. I think you ?^Iissourians 

 will bear me out in the statement that 'our winter varieties of apples 

 would not average three-quarters of an inch in diameter on the first 

 day of August. Then they commenced to grow and they grew and 

 grew, and look at the fruit here now ! Such a collection of fruit I 

 have never seen at any horticultural meeting since I remember. 



Now Avhat made those apples grow so rapidly after the first of 

 the month? We have often had seasons when we had more rain than 

 we have had since the first of August and the fruit didn't grow half 

 so w^ell. Peaches on the first day of August were shriveled up. It 

 was so in our state and I think so in Missouri. They were shriveled 

 up and looked as though they would not be worth picking. In Se]> 

 tember, I never saw such specimens as there were on the market. In 

 your State here, I have heard there w-as a remarkable yield of peaches 

 in the Ozarks. We have had the finest peaches in our market that 

 we had for a number of years. Now why was that? There is some 

 cause for it. There is some cause for the wonderful growth of these 

 apples. There is some cause for the immense yield of peaches. Have 

 we all considered what that was, after having such a drouth as we had 

 this summer, that we had such a remarkable growth- from August up 

 to October? Now my opinion is that it was all owing to that drouth. 

 My opinion is, that drouths are a benefit. That seems like an absurd 

 assertion, but my opinion is that drouths not only help, but they art 

 a necessity. 



But why? Why is a drouth necessary? For this reason. All 

 plants require a certain amount of mineral. All plants I say. I don't 

 know of an exception. The ground is full of these minerals, but ihcy 

 are not all in solution, and if they are in solution they are not near 

 enough the surface to be afi:'ected. But when we have an abundance 

 of rain those minerals that are in a solid condition are carried beneath 

 the earth. Water, as we discovered last summer, is a very essential 

 thing. We fruit growers as well as every one else know that. If you 

 will examine it closely you will find that wqj:er is nothing but a carrier, 

 at least its mission is to carry material needed for plant growth. Now, 

 when w^e have pleasant, warm weather the scientists say that the evapo- 

 ration, where there is water available, will average one-half of that 



