Winter Meeting. ^37 



lecting fruits, which has now all been paid back to the Society." It is 

 well for us to remember that when, by the operation of law, available 

 money was not in the treasury, the Secretary did not hesitate to advance 

 it for the Society. I find that as far back as 1886, he advanced during 

 the year $316.36; in 1887, $383.44; in 1888, $569.52 — the expenses of 

 the fruit show being that year $872.28 — and in 1889, $175.60 more than 

 he drew from the treasury and collected from fees. The Treasurer's re- 

 port shows, however, that by the close of the year all the amounts had 

 been refunded to the Secretary when State funds became available. At 

 the December meeting of this year, the Treasurer reported "Balance 

 from World's Fair, $165.80, and from St. Louis exhibition, $150.70." 

 In December, 1895, the Treasurer reported cash from St. Louis exposi- 

 tion, $236.81. 



In December, 1899 J- H. Davidson, Treasurer of the Horticultural 

 Committee of the Missouri Commissioners of Omaha Exposition, re- 

 ported $323.70 advanced by State Horticultural Society for printing and 

 fruit, and at Farmington, in December, 1900, Mr. Nelson reported the 

 same $323.70 received from Omaha Exposition. At this same meeting 

 the Secretary said, "The expense of the Paris Exposition was paid from 

 money we had saved from our annual appropriations and from former 

 displays." Such an experience as our Executive Committee had in making 

 an exhibit in far off Paris, without a dollar of appropriation from our 

 Legislature was enough to induce the action taken at Chillicothe, Janu- 

 ary 8, 1900, and so accurately reported by Treasurer Nelson on page 

 260 of that year's report. Mr. Nelson reported $1,179.32 as the total 

 "savings fund," and by a vote of the Executive Committee, he was directed 

 to deposit $1,000.00 with the Mississippi Valley Trust Co., St. Louis, 

 Mo., at 4 per cent, that, as he said, "we may always have something to 

 use in case of necessity." 



This money he deposited in his own name as Treasurer, and it was 

 so deposited at the time of his death, November 10, 1901. This fact 

 occasioned the board some little trouble ; but it was finally arranged with 

 the Trust Co., as all such things are arranged in time, and re-deposited 

 in the name of the Missouri State Horticultural Society, subject to the 

 Treasurer's check, upon the order of the Executive Committee, and 

 countersigned by both the President and Secretary. Greater safeguards 

 cannot well be provided, and it so stands today. 



The year 1901 found us getting ready for the St. Louis World's 

 Fair — the great Louisiana Purchase Exposition, just closed. In De- 

 cember the Secretary reported the purchase of two hundred large jars 

 at a mere nominal sum for use at this Exposition, and expressed "the 



