SUMMER MEETING. 29 



the past summer, this new plantation has not made as good growth, and it cannot 

 be expected to give even a fair crop the coming year. It may therefore be neces- 

 sary to prolong the experiment another season before definite rosults can be 

 annonnced. 



Of course, each seedling must be considered a possible new variety. From 

 the number grown in Professor Clark's plantation, the following selections were 

 made ': 



Of 814 Warfield No. 2 seedlings, 48 have been saved, and 12 plants of each of 

 these are now ready for fruiting the coming season. 



Of 882 Lady Rusk seedlings, 72 were saved as above. 



Of 2044 Crescent seedlings, 104 were saved. 



Of 394 Bubach No. 5 seedlings, 20 were saved. 



Of 166 Gandy seedlings, one was saved. 



The^e selections were made as the result of two years' study, and it is known 

 that in some cases they are not better than their parents, but all are consideied 

 better in some important particular than what might be called an average berry. 



Twelve plants of each of these 245 selected seedlings should fruit the coming 

 season. The increased number of plants of each kind, with the greatly lessened 

 number of kinds, will make possible more careful study, and will doubtless result 

 in discarding a great many of the seedlings under test. C. A. Keffer. 



Columbia, Mo, January 26, 1894. 



Wednesday, June 7, 8 p. m. 



The evening program vras opened with a tine number in music by 

 Miss E. Hack. It was beautifully rendered and elicited much applause. 



Then followed an address by Dr. Paul Schweitzer, on " Soil Absorb- 

 tion," which will be found among •'Miscellaneous Papers." 



At the close of his address a number of questions were asked as 

 to the value of ashes and the quantity per acre. Answer, 35 cents 

 per 100 pounds, $7 per ton, and 500 pounds to 1000 pounds per acre. 



After a beautiful song by Miss Tattle, the following paper was 

 read : 



A PLEA FOR A HAND-BOOK OF HORTICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE. 



Ladies and Gentlemen — I come before this meeting presenting a paper on a 

 subject which I feel is not only of special interest to the members of this Society, 

 but also to every farmer and every thoughtful citizen of our State. It is of in- 

 tesest because it invites thought along our line of investigation. While we are 

 trying to clear the rubbish out of our own pathway in fruit-growing, nothing 

 would be more considerate in us than to leave the path over which we have trod 

 and over which untold thousands of others must come, as smooth as we possibly 

 can. Our boys and girls and the untaught and inexperienced who shall come after 

 us must know what we know before they are prepared to advance farther in the 

 horticultural art than we have advanced. Now the question I wish to ask this 

 Society is this : ' ' Do you think that we have done what we could to help the one 

 wishing to come our way to find the path that leads to success ? " It seems to me 

 that there is nothing trustworthy, or at hand, or definite and applicable to fruit- 

 growing in Missouri which a youthful or an uninformed mind can get possession 



