Winter Meeting. 277 



only partially ripened, or whether it fell early in the season; the study of 

 the blossom scar will enable us to know how profusely blossoms were 

 produced and how many of them failed to set fruit. In other words, 

 the tree carries upon its twigs evidences of what it has been doing in 

 the past, evidences which go to show its relation year by year to heat 

 or cold, to drought or wet weather, or other things that go to make up 

 its surroundings, and we can find in that tree evidence of some kind to 

 show every eflFect of its surroundings, whether fayorable or unfavorable. 

 The history of a tree, then, is as plainly written upon its surface as is 

 the history of a people upon the pages of a book. He who studies the 

 tree to learn from it in this way finds it an intelligent pursuit instead of 

 a drudgery, and finds in it a constant inspiration. He who works for 

 the tree alone without such study makes it a drudgery and instead of 

 the inspiration simply gets a "tired feeling." 



The influences which surround our coming to Kansas City have 

 been all interesting influences ; we want to acknowledge it and again 

 thank you for your cordial greeting. 



PRESENTATION OF THE GAVEL. 



The gavel presented to the Society is the duplicate of one presented 

 by the Missouri Society to the American Pomologlcal Society at its 

 meeting held in Kansas City, September 19-21, 1905. The suggestion 

 for making the gavels from the wood of the ancient apple tree was made 

 by Mr. W. G. Gano, Parkville, Mo., ex-Treasurer and Vice-President 

 of the State Society. 



The speech of presentation was made by Mr. H. B. McAfee of 

 Park College. The students of the college made the gavel, in the shape 

 of an apple barrel, which was afterwards headed with plates of silver 

 and bound with hoops of the same. 



PRESENTATION SPEECH. 



The tree from which this gavel was made started in life many years 

 ago, even before any one now connected with the Society was born. 

 It passed its virgin life successfully and spent many years of profitable 

 fruit bearing until it reached the ripe old age of 90 years ; lending in 

 its later years an influence for the betterment of its fellow trees. The 

 gavel is made of small pieces of wood which did not fit together har- 

 moniously, but under the master hand were blended into one beautiful 

 whole. So, like our Society, it has passed its virgin years, being now 



