Notes hy the Secretary. 63 



Every one in attendance went home with the intention of 

 doing more and better work in the futuVe. 



The officers of the Missouri State Horticultural Society are 

 happy to report that under their invitation and management the 

 most interesting and most valuable meeting of horticulturists ever 

 convened in the west was held. We have the words of the officers 

 of that association that they were more than delighted with the 

 success of the meeting. 



L. A. GOODMAN, Secy. 



EXTRACTS FROM PRESIDENT EARLE'S ADDRESS. 



Ladies ami Gentlemen — Members of the Mississippi Valley Horti- 

 cultural Society : 



I am most happy to greet you at this fifth annual meeting of 

 our society. Four times before this have we convened in the four 

 greatest cities of this great valley — in St. Louis, in Cincinnati', in 

 Chicago and in New Orleans. And now we salute each other on 

 the banks of the noble Missouri, where but a generation since was 

 the border land of civilization ; where now stands this most won- 

 derful young city of the world. 



Last winter we were received ' with enthusiastic hospitality on 

 the borders of the Gulf of Mexico in the commercial metropolis of 

 the South, and held a memorable meeting in that quaint and 

 beautiful city. To-day we assemble a thousand miles distant from 

 that city of orange orchards and winter gardens, and yet a thousand 

 miles this side the limit of our society's territory, to meet this 

 heartiest of welcomes from the citizens and horticulturists of 

 the robust and energetic metropolis of the plains. 



BUSINESS OF HORTICULTUEE. 



The business of horticulture, aside from the refining, educa- 

 tional influences of it, produces annual values within this 

 Mississijjpi valley amounting to perhaps, a ^100,000,000. The 

 commercial importance of fruit growing and gardening, and the 

 other horticultural industries, has generally been much under- 

 estimated. Li a certain county of Illinois the wheat crop, which 

 was the important staple, failed the past season. To help meet 

 expenses the farmers gave especial attention to drying their surplus 

 fruits. The result was, as shown from the books of the merchants 

 and bankers of the county, that the total income from dried apples 



