Winter Meeting. 241 



the fruit, being entirely free from blemish, that the sprayer was industri- 

 ously used by the growers. A feature of the display worthy of note was 

 a collection of some three dozen plates of a few varieties, but mostly Ben 

 Davis, which had been exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, 

 and were shown at the meeting of the Society a year ago at Neosho. 

 Here were apples grown over two years ago, and were in and out of cold 

 storage by turns, yet appeared to the eye as sound as ever. On a sep- 

 arate table was an exhibit of West Virginia apples. A plate of York 

 Imperial attracted attention, not only by their size, but shapeliness, the 

 variety being usually quite eccentric in the latter respect. There were 

 apples also from the Pacific coast, grown by irrigation, and were large 

 and handsome. 



EI^ECTION OF OFFICERS. 



A business meeting of the Society was held on the afternoon of the 

 first day of the session, at which various committees were appointed and 

 reports of officers were made, and following these the election of officers 

 for the ensuing year took place. The report of Secretary Goodman referred 

 to the advancement made in horticulture in Missouri in the past, the 

 State now leading every other in acreage planted to fruit trees, and its 

 progress in this great industry having kept fully abreast with that in 

 other lines of devedopment. There had been enemies to combat in the 

 orchard and many crop failures, but notwithstanding the many discour- 

 agements, the fruit growers' work has been marked by great progress. 



The report of the Treasurer showed a satisfactory condition of the 

 finances. 



The officers chosen for the ensuing year were as follows : Presi- 

 dent, C H. Butcher, Warrensburg ; Vice-President, T. H. Todd, New 

 Franklin; Secretary, L. A. Goodman, Kansas City; Treasurer, A. T. 

 Nelson, Lebanon. 



The election of a Secretary, the only officer eligible to a re-election 

 under the by-laws of the Society, developed into a spirited contest. L. 

 A. Goodman has served in that position for twenty-three consecutive 

 years, and there had never before been any opposition to his annual re- 

 election. But his friends seemed to understand that an effort would be 

 made this year to displace him, and were present to support his claims 

 to further service in a position in which, to say the least, he has given 

 satisfaction to those most interested in the welfare of the Society. James 

 M. Irvine, editor of the Western Fruit Grower, who has nursed an am- 

 bition for some time to serve the interests of horticulture (?) in a larger 



H— 16 



