No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 555 



been set for the lGtb inst., in Lock Haven and for the 17th inst, in 

 Bellefonte. I shall be obliged to attend these hearings, so that, at 

 almost the last moment, I find I shall not be. able to be at Gettys- 

 burg meeting. 



Please give to your Association assurance of the very high esti- 

 mate placed by this Department upon its work and my personal ap- 

 preciation of what the Association is doing for the Agriculture of the 

 State. 



Hoping that you may have a very pleasant and profitable session, 

 I have the honor to be, 



Very truly yours, 



N. B. CRITCHFIELD, 

 Secretary of Agriculture. 

 Adjourned. 



EVENING SESSION. 



After President Hiester called the meeting to order, Prof. 

 Surface called the attention of his field demonstrators to the im- 

 portance of using note books and pencil freely in noting varieties of 

 fruits and other valuable points likely to come up during the sessions 

 of our meetings. 



The credentials of William H. Skillman, Bell Mead, New Jersey, 

 President of New Jersey State Horticultural Society, as a delegate 

 from said society, and of Peter R. Boltz, M. H. Snavely and John C. 

 Troxell as delegates from the Lebanon County Agricultural and Hor- 

 ticultural Association, were presented and they were accorded the 

 privilege of the floor. * 



ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 



BY GABRIEL HIESTER, Harrisburg, Pa. 



In accordance with a time-honored custom, our Secretary has 

 placed on the program at this time, "President's Address." 



I shall not attempt to make a lengthy or finished address, but there 

 are a few things I would like to say. 



First, I want to thank you for the honor you have conferred upon 

 me by making me your President. I assure you I do consider it an 

 honor to occupy the chair that has been so ably filled by such men 

 as Howard A. Chase, William H. Moon, Calvin Cooper, S. B. Hieges 

 and Josiah Hoopes. When I leave the chair, if I can carry with me 

 the respect, and esteem, the affectionate regard of the members as 

 these men have done, I shall be fortunate indeed. 



We are just now entering upon a period of greal expansion in the 

 fruit industry; from every seel ion of this great country, north, south, 



