124 State Horticultural Society. 



is a very much more important factor than the top soils and undoubtedly 

 these timber lands has abundance of this kind. 



Rainfall is just sufficient for the best growth of fruits. Plenty 

 of rain when needed in the spring- and early summer, and less in 

 the fall and early winter. The record kept at Columbia for the last 

 number of years gives the following results which plainly shows how 

 regular and timely the rain supplies our State : January, February 

 and March the rainfall is over two inches each month ; in April, May, 

 June and July it is nearly five inches each month. In August and 

 September over three inches each month. In October, November 

 and December again over two inches each month, making a total 

 about fort}^ inches per year. 



The flora of our country seems to centralize here in Missouri. 

 That from the North, running well down in Missouri. That from 

 the East, extending well over the entire State. That from the South, 

 spreading up into and onto the Ozark mountains, while that from the 

 vast prairies of the West laps over our western border, and as a 

 result, all the State shows the most wonderful adaptability of its soil 

 and climate, to the production of all kind of fruit and tree growth, 

 as is evident from the development now already made. This adapt- 

 ability of our land to the production of all manner of wild fruits, not 

 only native fiere but those also which have been brought in from the 

 four points of the compass is a very important fact to keep in mind 

 when locating fruit lands in this country of ours, and Missouri occu- 

 pies this peculiar condition that is needed for the production of our 

 tame fruits. 



So as these natural flora from the four points of the compass 

 seem to all overlap here in Missouri, we begin to understand how 

 favorable a position Alissouri occupies for fruit growing. The native 

 wild crab and June berry of the North seems perfectly at home here 

 and with them flourish the southern pawpaw and persimmon, th<„ 

 "Missouri banana" and "Missouri fig." The Northern and Southern, the 

 Eastern and Western grape as well as all their cultivated varieties 

 seem perfectly at home in the fertile soils of our 3kIissouri hills. 



The Soulard crab, the native plums are all of them fingers point- 

 ing to Missouri as their home, while sand plum and sand cherry of the 

 sandy West seem happy and contented when they get into Missouri soil. 

 All these items of nature prove surely and truly that ^Missouri 

 has a wonderful adaptability of soil, subsoil, climate and elevation for 

 all these fruits to thrive so happily and perfectly. 



What is true in these matters is just as positively true in regard 



