1883.] CLOSING REMARKS. 807 



to the row of sixty plants. Among those strawberries were ber- 

 ries that weighed 2| ounces, and were 2^ inches through. He 

 said it was not fair to measure strawberries by the circumference, 

 the only fair way to measure them was by avoirdupois. 



Now, Mr. President, perhaps you will not wonder that we in 

 Massachusetts have to come to Connecticut to learn how to grow 

 even strawberries. And although I speak only of the strawberry, 

 I might, if I had time, include many other things. 



Thanking you for your attention, and expressing my obligations 

 to the gentleman for calling me up, if I have said anything to 

 show your people that you are doing well and making good pro- 

 gress, I am happy to have done so. 



Mr. Augur. I am not going to occupy the time of the 

 convention at any length this evening, for it is time we should 

 close. I simply wish to make a remark or two. 



Mr. President, it has been my pleasure and my profit to go 

 about Connecticut somewhat, from the rising Day on the 

 east, around by the strong Webb of the City of Elms, over to 

 the Gold-en horizon of Cream Hill on the west, — and I will 

 say before this meeting that it behooves us as farmers to 

 assert our rights and our standing. I will say that all over 

 our State are homes and farms, and, between the Atlantic 

 and the Pacific, there are none which are the abodes of more 

 contentment and happiness. 



A word or two more, and I am done. We want, if we can, 

 to make two blades of grass grow where only one has grown 

 before. Mr. Downing, in his description of the fruits of this 

 country, gives the origin of more than one hundred of the 

 choice varieties of fruit under cultivation in America to Con- 

 necticut, more than eighteen to the City of Elms, and a great 

 many to the city of Hartford. 



Now, gentlemen, we have here a few packages of seeds. 

 We are willing to move forward in this direction. Here are 

 some packages of grape-seeds, which were saved from the 

 premium dishes of grapes which were exhibited at our State 

 fair — the best of the best. Mr. Nichols, the reporter of " The 

 Country Gentleman," remarked to me that it was the finest 



