Winter Meeting. 253 



REPOKTS OF COUNTY SOCIETIES. 



RANDOLPH COUNTY. 



On December 17, 1898, "a few of the faithful" met at court house 

 in ]Moberly, Missouri, and organized the Randolph county Horticultural 

 Society and elected the following officers: B. R. Boucher, president; 

 G. N. Ratliff, vice-president; J. W. Dorsey, treasurer; J. P. Sinnock, 

 Geo. Gutkunst, and W. A. Rollins, executive committee; C. W. Halli- 

 burton, secretary. 



Constitution recommended by State Secretary Goodman for county 

 societies was adopted. The society meets first Saturday of each month. 

 At the first meeting there were twenty-five persons enrolled 

 their names as members, and the list has steadily grown 

 and now contains about fifty members. We have not 

 failed in the past year to hold our regular monthly meet- 

 ings and have had a good attendance. We have, we are confident, 

 awakened new interest in fruit culture in this county. We have en- 

 couraged those who were already engaged in fruit culture and at the 

 same time have been the means of many others planting that never be- 

 fore planted a tree ; and I am confident there has been more trees set 

 out in this county the past two years than there were the past ten years 

 prior to 1898. And right here it would be well to return thanks to the 

 state society for holding their winter meeting here in 1897, for that 

 gave us an "eye, opener" and put us to studying. 



The society made a fine exhibit at the Moberly street fair in Sep- 

 tember last. We had the largest booth on the street, fifty-four feet 

 long and containing four hundred and eighty plates of fruit, besides 

 many potted plants and evergreens. There were over two hundred entries. 

 The society offered a very liberal premium list. All fruits furnished 

 for exhibit were donated to the society and were auctioned off and 

 brought a sum sufficient to pay all premium lists and all other small 

 expenses which were incurred. The apple crop was about twenty-five 

 per cent of a full crop and sold from $1.25 to $1.50 per eleven peck 

 barrels for No. 1 and No. 2, and 90 cents per eleven peck barrels 

 for culls. Peaches an entire failure. 



