SUMMER MEETING. 119 



plain after the race is raa and the hiatory v«^ritten, but the fature seems 

 so uncertain that we can see nothing but failure, or trouble, or hard 

 work, or harder times in front of us. 



So with this Society. It has been a long pull, but there has been 

 a will that we succeed in spite of all the obstacles, and so it has. The 

 prevailing rule of success has always been and always will be : "Do 

 well all the duties of today" and you will be ready for the larger and 

 greater duties of tomorrow. This rule gives such a discipline to our 

 minds and body that the will to do becomes energy and push, and per- 

 severance, and enthusiasm, and finally, success. 



What we will do individually may be to follow somewhat the plan 

 that we have always followed in all our business, a steady, earnest, 

 continual at it. Today we find one thing succeeds best, tomorrow 

 another, this year one variety or one class of fruits may be our suc- 

 cess, another year we may find that the same fruit or vegetable would 

 prove a failure ; today proves one fact, tomorrow disproves it. Seven 

 years ago I advised a friend to plant out 40 acres of apples and 10 

 acres of peaches, last year if his trees had all been peach, he said he 

 should have made enough to pay for the entire place. One year I had 

 such a bountiful crop of pears and secured such good prices that I 

 wished all my trees were pear trees. But a few years later the pear 

 trees all blighted, and perhaps next year my friend may have no 

 peaches. 



What we must do is to plod along with the best knowledge we can 

 obtain each year, and profit by it, do the best we can, every duty and 

 every work thoroughly and the will to do will make the success a sure 

 one. 



In spite of the wonderful success of special crops at certain times 

 it is not wise to go too largely into any one thing exclusively, because 

 if a failure comes it will be our all that fails. Better have the will to 

 do a little of all things that can be done well and without conflict. All 

 kinds of small fruits and large fruits that succeed well and will give 

 employment the whole year round seems to be the safe and sure one 

 to success. If you have the will to do you need not fail. 



Today we complain that no money is to be made in many lines of 

 business, and we wonder if ever we can realize the good old times. 

 We fail to read the times if we expect such a thing. Things are 

 changed, people are changed, times have changed, business has changed, 

 all our surroundings have changed. Hundreds are doing today what 

 one was doing years ago. Thousands were making money then to 

 where we find tens doing it today. Tens of thousands are seeking 

 employment today where only hundreds were, in the olden times. 



