240 State Horticultural Society. 



Indeed were I called upon to write a formal platform, I could do 

 no better than to copy those six resolutions, with their four preceding 

 whereases. If people will pay $35.00 a hundred for trees from other 

 states, principally north and east, rather than patronize their home 

 nurserymen, who have reputations to make or to lose, men who will 

 gladly correct any mistake, and with mc have always made good any de- 

 fective stock when pointed out to them, we can't prevent it. We warn, 

 we advise. We resolve and print our resolutions. We report and print 

 our reports at great expense, and still men bite and are bitten. But a great 

 majority heed the warning and reject the oily tongued spieler; hence we 

 must and shall continue in the future as in the past. We have, as all 

 know, accomplished much, and by fair and honest dealing, we expect to 

 achieve far greater things. 



FIFTH SESSION— THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 10 A. M. 



BUSINESS MEETING. 



The morning prayer was offered by Mr. J. W. Graves. 

 As the reports of the committees were not ready, the President 

 called for the report of the Secretary. 



REPORT OF SECRETARY. 



(L. A. Goodman.) 



No more remarkable year in all our history than that of 1904. Not 

 especially in the fruit line, although that has been much better than 

 was expected but in the line of development and improvement, in ex- 

 tension and intensive work, in study and examination, in new ideas and 

 experiences, and especially in preparation, handling, keeping and ex- 

 hibiting of fruits at the greatest of World's Fairs. The great work of our 

 society members has been to make the greatest show ever attempted and 

 to keep it up for seven months. 



The success of our exhibit and the general approval of the public, 

 the special compliments of the expert fruit grower, the peculiar satis- 

 faction of every man from Missouri, and the generous awards given by 

 the expert judges in the way of fifty more medals than any other state; 

 all show that Missouri did herself proud in the greatest fruit show 

 ever made. 



