WINTER MEETING. 309 



These high lands are not as a whole attractive to the eye of the 

 agriculturist; much of the surface is too rolling and broken for exten- 

 flive farming. 



In the interest of the State of Missouri and Arkansas, and 

 especially in the interest of horticulture, the question remains to be 

 answered, can these ten to twelve million acres of rough, rocky, unim- 

 proved lands be protitably utilized in the cultivation of fruits for the 

 markets of the world ? Before giving a final answer to this question 

 let us briefly enumerate some of the peculiar advantages that this 

 region possesses and state why it is thought that these lands have all 

 the essential elements necessary to constitute a favorable location for 

 successful and profitable fruit culture. 



These lands have the requisite climate and temperature, as they 

 are located geographically between 35° and 39° north latitude. 



We find that they are in the same latitude as the famous fruit dis- 

 tricts of Central and Southern California, more than 3° south of the 

 most southern point of Italy and many degrees south of the vine-clad 

 hill of the German Rhine. 



These points are mentioned in comparing their location with the 

 Ozark region because they are each in their way celebrated for their 

 fruits. Every country has its specialities; even the Arctic regions 

 produce seals, furs and feathers in abundance; stony Arabia produces 

 more than 100 varieties of the date palm and perhaps the best coffee 

 in the world. 



The sandy, almost desert lands along the coast of Florida, pro- 

 duce oranges, lemons and other semi-tropical fruits in abundance. 

 The soil about Los Angeles and Fresno, California, where citrons and 

 vinous fruits arrive at such high perfection is so sandy that it is unfit 

 for general agriculture. The Ozark hills, although lying in the same 

 latitude with California, will not produce successfully all the tropical 

 fruits, because the conditions are dissimilar; their elevation is greater 

 than the coast of Southern California, and unlike it they have no large 

 body of warm water near to modify the temperature. The horticultur- 

 ist here mu'5t per force content himself with the fruits and vegetables 

 indigenous to the south temperate zone. 



There are some peculiar advantages that may be considered here 

 that are of especial benefit to the fruit-raiser in the Ozark hills. Lying 

 well south they have long seasons of warmth, while their moderate 

 elevation tempers the fierce rays of the sun in the heated season and 

 prevents premature development of vegetation in the spring ; this 

 fact, taken in connection with that other, that these lands are sur- 

 rounded by valleys on all sides, by the Arkansas and its tributary val- 



