Winter ■ Meeting. ■ 229 



The reports of 1865 and '66 were hard to find ; but a perusal of them 

 paid well for the labor. The 1865 meeting was held in St. Louis. Presi- 

 dent Mudd occupied the chair. Politically and socially these were times 

 in Missouri that tried men's souls. It was January loth, but no one 

 dared hope that the cruel war would end as soon as in April following. 

 Mr. Mudd's opening paragraph was full of reHgious fervor, and thank- 

 fulness for the "ever watchful care and guardianship of Him, who ruleth 

 all things." He then said 'Tt appears to me to be a just cause of con- 

 gratulation to the members, that we have not only been able to keep up 

 our organization as a Society, while much of our State has been over run 

 by war's destroying trains, but have also made much valuable improve- 

 ment in Horticulture and Pomology, both in planting and improved arts 

 01 cultivation, and in improved varieties of many fruits introduced among 

 our people. Ours is the only State Society organized to promote any 

 rf the interests belonging to the great family of Agriculture, which has 

 been able to maintain its organization and annual convention." 



From this address we learn that nothwithstanding the Legislature 

 had, at our instance, passed an act establishing a State Board of Agri- 

 ciilture more than two years before, owing to the indifference or neglect 

 of some gentlemen named in the act, three separate attempts to organize 

 the Board had proved abortive. This indifference and neglect on the 

 part of the farmers greatly endangered the establishment of the Agri- 

 cultural College. Less than three years remained, and had it not been 

 for this Society, the State no doubt woud have lost the 330,000 acres 

 oJ land conditionally donated by Congress to provide for the endowment 

 of such a College. 



The first published Treasurer's report was made at this meeting, 

 and showed receipts, $112.00; disbursements, $109.70, balance on hand, 

 $2.30. The Secretary said in this report, "The fact that our meetings 

 here from year to year increased in attendance and in interest, even dur- 

 ing those years of fearful fratricidal conflict, shows that our Society 

 may well be recognized as one of the fixed facts of our social life." He 

 refers with much congratulation to the fact that at the last annual meet- 

 ing they had secured the 1866 meeting of that "indefatigable body, the 

 American Pomological Society," to be held in St. Louis. 



True to the pace set at Hermann five years before, grape culture re- 

 ceived much attention at this meeting. They appointed a committee to 

 memorialize the Legislature for the protection of orchards and vineyards, 

 and another committe to ask for the passage of a dog law. Why this 

 law, does not appear from the record, but earlier in the session Mr. Col- 

 man stated that Captain Blossom had to pick his apples early as they were 



