132 State Horticultural Society. 



secured 26 prizes and $500.00 in money. At the St. Louis Fair for 

 three consecutive years the society won prizes of $100 each year on 

 "best collection" and 12 other prizes of small amounts. In 1888 the 

 society kept up an exhibition at the St. Louis Exposition for 40 days 

 and 40 nights. At this exhibit we had 3,500 plates on the table. No 

 award was made for this, and only a letter from the exposition was 

 secured. At the close of this exhibit there were on the table nearly 

 100 barrels of fruit. In 1893, at Chicago, was made the greatest show 

 ever attempted. For six months the tables were filled with fresh 

 fruits and the society received six awards, besides special mention 

 for artistic display. Again the Society stepped into the breach and did 

 the whole of this immense amount of work, preparing the year before 

 all the jar exhibits and putting a car load of the finest specimens in 

 cold storage in Chicago, to draw from. The management of this 

 exhibit was in the hands of President Evans, and he untiringly and 

 devotedly gave his time and means to this work for nearly two years. 

 In 1894 the society again kept up its show at the St. Louis Exposition 

 for 40 days, and it became the means of bringing many fruit growers" 

 and buyers to our State and interesting many others. For this dis- 

 play we received about $250.00. 



In 1895 again the society did this same work. No awards were 

 made in either case, but the State received the sarne beneficial re- 

 sults. These two exhibits cost a great deal of time and care and a 

 large amount of fruit donated by our fruit growers. The Society 

 earned $160.00 in money. 



Again and last in 1S98, the society took up the fruit show at 

 Omaha. For five months there v/as never a day but that the tables 

 were full of fresh fruits. Beginning with the strawberry and follow- 

 ing with each fruit in season, there was made a special show of straw- 

 berries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, plums, peaches, pears, 

 quince, apples and all the wild fruits of the woods on the tables during 

 their season. Some 78 awards were made the Society. 



I venture the statement that we will never begin to realize nor 

 appreciate the results obtained by the influx of new comers directly 

 and indirectly as a result of the Society's work, so faithfully done by 

 its loyal members. Not only this, but we see many drawn close to 

 our Society and taking a lively interest in her welfare, whom we have 

 never seen put their shoulder to the wheel before. This new help 

 and power will assist us in another step forward, if we will but unite 

 in a vigorous pull. There are many strong men in our State whose 

 influence and power we shall appreciate, if they will but put their 



