.ideational Papers. 131- 



to any extent. But this nicctino- of '83 in Kansas City, the then 

 wonder of our State, gave a renewed impetus to our fruit growers, 

 and from that time began the upward turn of our Society. From that 

 time to this, the last twenty years, there has never been a gathering 

 of fruit men but the Society was the leader, never was there a National 

 gathering of horticulturists but the Society stood up for Missouri, and 

 showed the Missouri fruits whenever opportunity offered, and has 

 never gone away empty handed. Over and over again, has this 

 Society taken as its burden the honor of the State, and carried her 

 fruits to a winning goal. At Boston, at Rochester, Cincinnati, Phila- 

 delphia, at St. Louis over and over, year after year; at Grand Rapids,. 

 New Orleans, New York and Columbus ; at the Mississippi Valley 

 meetings ; at the American Horticultural Society, at the American 

 Pomological gatherings ; at the World's Fair at Chicago, Omaha. 

 Paris, Amsterdam, we see our society doing- valiant service for the 

 State. 



While thinking these matters over it occurs to me that I should 

 give a synopsis of vvhat this society has done in this way to help the 

 fruit interests of our vState. In this matter I shall not go- back of my 

 own participation in this work. Outside of the State reports issued 

 and the personal contact at the State meetings, I feel free to say that 

 the greatest and best results to the fruit industry have come from 

 displays of fruits made in other parts of our country. It brings to us 

 thousands upon thousands of the best people that our country can pro- 

 duce, and brings our State prominently to the notice of other people. 

 In 1880 then we began the first of these great displays in the Mer- 

 chants' Exchange at St. Louis. For ten days the Exchange was a 

 bower of beauty, a sea of fruit. Our display was the admiration of 

 all the eastern people as well as western, and as a result of that ex- 

 hibit we brought away $400.00 in 20 premiums. At the Kansas City 

 and the Kansas State exposition the Society captured more than 

 $500.00 in premiums. At the American Pomological Society meet- 

 ings the society was awarded a Wilder medal as follows : At Cincin- 

 nati, at Rochester, at Boston, at Grand Rapids, at Philadelphia, all 

 these occurring between 1876 and 1886. Meetings every twO' years. 

 Again at New Orleans in 1883 under the Mississippi Valley Horti- 

 cultural Society, a display was made, and again in 1885. A car load 

 of fruit was taken for exhibition to the Cotton Centennial. This col- 

 lection was made entirely by the State society, and shown by favor 

 of the railroad company, and money paid out of our own pockets,, 

 which was afterwards refunded by the legislature. As a result we 



