i:VDIANA IIOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 241 



you an opportunity to visit some of our gigantic manufactories, notably 

 those that pertain to agriculture and horticulture. We would be delighted 

 to have you see the manner in which the plow is made, to cultivate the 

 fields and the orchards, and would be delighted to have you gaze upon 

 the wonderful and marvelous machinery by which wagons are turned out 

 by the thousands, for the purpose of transporting the products of the farm 

 and the orchard; we would be delighted, indeed, to have you gaze upon 

 our principal mercantile establishments; we would be delighted to have 

 you look at our homesteads, with their well-kept lawns, and see the care 

 that has been exercised by our people in planting trees wherever there is 

 room for them; we would be delighted to have you take a general view of 

 this cosmopolitan city, that you might gain something of an idea of the 

 achievements that have been wrought during the past fifty years. But, 

 as I said before, we know that you have not the time. But let me assure 

 you that, while we would be glad to have you see all the notable things 

 that South Bend presents, we, as a people, are more, much more, interested 

 in the consideration and the discussion of the important subjects today 

 before you. 



A great deal depends upon meetings of this character, upon the solu- 

 tion of problems, upon the discovery of methods helpful to the husband- 

 man in carrying on his occupation. We realize that in horticulture, as 

 well as in other businesses, obstacles are to be overcome. That is what 

 we are here for. This is pre-eminently a nation to overcome obstacles — 

 obstacles seemingly unsurmountable. Obstacles had to be overcome when 

 the tree of liberty was first planted by the founders of this government; 

 obstacles had to be overcome during the past hundred years, too great, 

 too vast for me to eniimerate. Obstacles must be overcome in building up 

 our orchards and affording the people an opportunity to get and to use 

 what every household so gi'eatly needs, namely, fruit of every description. 



I sincerely trust that your stay in this city will be one of uninterrupted 

 interest, not only to yourself, but to the thousands of people who will be 

 afforded an opportunity of reading what you may say and what you may 

 determine during the progress of this meeting. And now I desire to state 

 in this connection that I am limited to seven minutes, therefore you will 

 understand I have said practically all that I shall have to say; but permit 

 me to say that scientists have of late applied their agency to the introduc- 

 tion of wireless telegraphy to convey messages far and near. For this 

 special occasion, in order to conform to the limitations imposed upon me 

 by Brother Latta, I take the liberty of introducing my innovation by 

 liberally, though only figuratively, drawing upon all the welcome addresses 

 ever delivered in this broad land of ours to shower upon your intellectual 

 brows all the sweet, gracious and pleasing words uttered by superior ora- 

 tors, in prose and in poetry, with the consciousness that no welcome thus 

 extended can have been more hearty, and no greeting more cordial than 



16 — Agriculture. 



