Summer Meeting. 27 



of his ease, suavity, gentleness and fairness. But in assuming the 

 custodianship of this beautiful and historic mallet, for such it is, I 

 promise you that it shall be considered only as the "common 

 gavel" of a presiding officer — a symbol, "speculative," it may be — 

 "used to admonish us of the duty of divesting our minds and con- 

 sciences of all the vices and impurities of life;" invoking its in- 

 fluence only to help us to restrain "all the ebullitions of temper, and 

 the indecorum of frivolity," and never as the "setting maul" of the 

 operative workman. If at times you thought I created, somev^hat 

 of a roar on the floor of these conventions, don't suppose that now 

 you are to find me a Joe Cannon, or any other sort of a cannon to 

 boom things my way, or "with thumbs turned down," expect you to 

 "deal a death blow to some prostrate bleeding Oklahoma." No, I 

 would rather keep thumbs turned up, and have you see a good, but 

 profitable time. 



I shall try to direct the affairs of this Society for the greatest 

 good to the greatest number; to make only such rulings as are just, 

 wise and fair to all ; to preserve such order as will conduce to the 

 accomplishment of the work that brings us together each June and 

 December. I shall try to preside over the meetings with becoming 

 dignity ; yet should 1 fail, at any time, to meet your ideas of such a 

 condition, please remember that the most dignified gentlemen you 

 ever saw, was a well-dressed corpse — a condition of this mundane 

 existence I am postponing to the latest possible day. 



Nine years ago this next December, we held our winter meeting 

 in this city, and a right pleasant and profitable time did we have. 

 Since that time we have held meetings in fifteen widely separated 

 places, having visited only one place twice. In this record we have 

 a verification of ex-President Murray's oft-repeated declaration,, 

 that we are a missionary society. Indeed, in my study of the de- 

 velopment of horticulture in Missouri last summer, I noticed that 

 from 1859 to 1883, a period of 24 years, the meetings of this Society 

 were largely confined to St. Louis and the Missouri river. Only 

 four times did we get away from the river, and only four times 

 above Jefferson City. This may seem a little selfish till you con- 

 sider that here the early settlements of the State were made, and on 

 the river bluffs the early orchards wre planted. In December, 

 1883, we went to Carthage, the first meeting in Southwest Missouri, 

 and held our first Summer Meeting in Springfield, in June, 1884. 

 I noticed, too, that from this date we have held meetings from Ne- 

 osho to Moberly — the fartherest northeast point reached up to this 

 time, from St. Joe, Oregon and Princeton to Farmington and West 



