Proceedings at Semi- Annual Meeting. 47 



The work of the secretary I finfl to be increasing every day. 

 Xot a day now passes but that letters are received asking what to 

 do for certain insects, how to put up fruit, what to do with 

 specimens of our small fruits. How to prune, how to plant small 

 fruits and many others. I find my time closely taken with the 

 regular work and the irregular work. 



I have written over 1,000 letters in the last six months, nearly 

 1,000 postal cards, sent out nearly 2,000 circulars and responded to 

 all the return questions. The work used to be done in one day in 

 a week, and now it takes three or four. It is growing and will be 

 kept growing with the right kind of work, and I can now see that 

 the day is not far distant when we can be as well organized as any 

 other state. It only wants work. 



The secretary's salary is S200.00 per year, and although it was 

 -enough when there was not much work to do, it is not enough now 

 for the work necessary to be done. The work on the book cost me 

 that much in time alone. 



The work of the secretary should grow more and more and will 

 do so if he does his duty. He will have to travel more and see the 

 loqal societies, and \\^\i places of noted fruit growing and get 

 acquainted with more of the people. 



The great meeting at New Orleans needs some attention. It 

 is the intention of the state society to make an exhibit there, and it 

 will also take work and time. The most liberal premiums are 

 offered and it is our intention to take some of them. This will take 

 the closest work and watching all over the state, and it will be 

 necessary for evei*y member to watch closely and if they haye any- 

 thing extra fine, to pack it well in small boxes and send to the 

 secretary at Kansas City for cold storage . until winter. Arrange- 

 ments will be made to have all the fruit kept in the cold storage, 

 free of charge, at Kansas City, and then in December repacked 

 and shipped to New Orleans. 



The help of every member of the society will be needed in this 

 collecting of the fruits. 



The society needs a library of all the standard works on fruit 

 growing and insects. They should be for reference and instruction 

 in many of the thousand items that come up every day in his work. 

 Many of these would probably be donated to the society and others 

 could be bought. I received from Chas. Downing the standard 

 fruit work of America, " Downing's Fruit and Fruit Trees of 

 America," as a gift to the society and we need many others. 



I find, in conclusion, that the society is in a much better organ- 



