No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 609 



shake hands with my friends from there especially the Tyson family. 

 They are all kind and hospitable and cannot help it. I also met 

 3 r our President there, and had him come to our meeting in New Jer- 

 sey, where he made a good speech. 



Another reason why I came here was to see this old and historic 

 town which figured so prominently in the Civil War. You have had 

 a good meeting and a splendid exhibit, and I have found your dis- 

 cussions interesting and instructive. I believe in visiting meetings 

 of this kind and in an interchange of courtesies among our societies. 

 We ought to co-operate and work in harmony because much can be 

 accomplished by co-operation and united efforts. If we act as one 

 body we can generally get what we want. Rural residents are 

 about the only people who do not act in unity for what they want. 

 Fruits should have a protective tariff, and our produce should have 

 protection as well as the products of our manufactures. Foreign 

 fruits come in direct competition with our own. Owing to freight 

 discrimination California growers can sell their fruit at a profit in 

 competition with our eastern fruit. They can grow it cheaper than 

 we, and the government aids them in irrigating their lands free 

 or at a nominal cost. We should unite also in a demand for a par 

 eels post, and with rural mail delivery we would be brought in 

 closer touch with merchants in large cities. We need laws also 

 to protect us from the modern automobiles, who drive so recklessly 

 over our public roads endangering life and virtually driving your 

 wife and daughter off the road for safety. We have in New Jersey 

 a law which does not permit us to protect our property from birds. 

 I do not believe such a law is just. We can protect our homes or 

 our stables from thieves and robbers, but dare not protect our or- 

 chards or gardens from destructive birds. If we shoot or kill one 

 we are liable to a fine of ten dollars. A man near Boundbrook 

 found a young robin one day that had been blown out of its nest 

 by a storm. A little girl kindly took the little bird into the house 

 to feed and care for it and for so doing was fined twenty dollars by 

 the deputy game warden. An extensive pea grower said the birds 

 destroyed for him one season a hundred bushels of peas worth two 

 to three dollars per bushel. These are evils that should be reme- 

 died and by co-operation we may be able to obtain redress. 



There are many ways in which we can benefit by a cordial co- 

 operation. It encourages a kind and sympathetic fellowship thai 

 makes the world a kin. We should .all be bound together and work 

 together for the common good. 



The following resolutions were adopted: 



W T hereas, The fruit interests of Pennsylvania are of great im- 

 portance and demand proper development and can be developed 

 only by the State giving them the recognition and interest they 

 deserve; therefore, be it 



Resolved, That we the members of the State Horticultural Asso- 

 ciation, do hereby express our earnest desire for the next State 

 Legislature to establish a Division of Horticulture of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, to give us needed help with varieties of fruits, 

 methods of cultivation, fertilization, pruning, thinning, harvesting 

 crop, packing, storing, shipping, combating diseases, etc. 



39—6—1905 



