PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 95 



One man in Oscoda county, Samuel Hill of Leinster, planted 4,000 to 

 5,000 trees, apples and plums, and they are reported as doing well. These 

 fruit lands are found all of the way north through Alpena, Presque Isle, 

 and Cheboygan counties. Even in the northern peninsula apples and 

 plums are being grown to some extent, and small fruits thrive every- 

 where. Why may not the Green bay country rival the apple and plum 

 orchards of Georgian bay in Canada? May I ask, what are we doing 

 to help these people? Their only instructors are the "tree peddlers" 

 and the hard knocks of experience — either alone bad enough. The corn 

 belt is said to be moving northward. Why should not the fruit belt be 

 governed by the same climatic influences? It is acknowledged that the 

 further north the apple can be successfully grown, the better the quality 

 of the fruit. Why, then, should we not help to develop the possibilities 

 of the northern part of our state? Is there any good reason why we 

 should not imitate our Canadian neighbors and divide all of this outlying 

 territory into districts and invite them to name an earnest, wide-awake 

 man, interested in the encouragement of the fruitgrowing industry in 

 his locality, and give him a position of director in our society? 



BY ME. 0. J. MONROE, TO THE WESTERN NEW YORK SOCIETY. 



Mr. Kice, in reporting on the Ontario convention this forenoon, gave 

 you a very good idea of the activity of our Canadian neighbors in matters 

 horticultural. I refer to this to remind you that this is also the case 

 in every state in the Union, where fruit can be raised, and those of you 

 who attended the World's Columbian Exposition will remember how the 

 western states, away up to the border line, were in the fruit business. 



When I went down to attend the Kew York convention, among the 

 things I felt particularly anxious about was to try to bring back, if 

 possible, ideas and suggestions that would be helpful to us. It seems to 

 me specially important that we improve every possible opportunity 

 in connection with the raising of fruit and its marketing; and in visiting 

 a society like that of western New York I think we all appreciate that 

 we are going right to headquarters. It is a section of the country where 

 dwell the authorities on the fruit business, where the largest amount of 

 capital is invested, and where they have made fruit-raising, I think I am 

 safe to say, a more legitimate business. Perhaps I can best illustrate 

 my meaning by contrasting it with California. 



It was my pleasure last year to visit California and attend a meeting 

 of the American Pomological society. The address of welcome was 

 delivered by a man who promotes the establishment of all societies, and 

 who perhaps knows very little about the practical part of the work; but 

 he certainly knew how to picture California in such glowing terms that 

 every one who heard him wished to be a Californian. The exhibits were 

 largely made by large companies, railroad companies and others. We 

 were shown about the state by that class of people. In other words, we 

 were constantly impressed with the feeling that they were in the fruit 

 business to sell land, rather than fruit; and yet, I almost hesitate to make 

 this criticism, for if there are any people in the world who know how 



