114 Missouri State Horticultural Society. 



Work is becoming more and more honorable and we will find 

 more men at it in the years to come. Religion should be brought 

 to this work, and we should all be baptized with the sweat of our 

 brows in this work. 



In this work, ladies and. gentlemen, we bid you God-speed. 



If the man should be honored who makes two blades of grass 

 grow where only one grew before, what shall we say of the man 

 who makes an orchard or vineyard grow where none grew before. 



RESPONSE BY C. W. MUETFELDT. 



I know that we are entertained by the citizens of St. Joe. 



Our society does mend nature. If you doubt it, look at this 

 fruit and these beautiful flowers. We claim that we are mending 

 nature. Our work is to find what will be best on our own places. 



We like to go to these cities and are glad to be welcomed there; 

 if the people will only invite us to come, we will gladly go. We 

 thank you, Mr. Mayor, and citizens of St. Joseph, for this kind 

 welcome and we assure you that we will accept it in the manner it 

 is given. 



The position in which I am placed is rather embarrassing. 

 Your President is absent, and also your Vice-President, and it is 

 always hard for a person to fill it. Our President should outline 

 for us the work for the year and now, as he is absent, I will take 

 this omoard look and read my paper on 



THE HORTICULTURAL OUTLOOK FOR MISSOURI. 



BY CHAS. W. MURTFELDT, KIRKWOOD, MO. 



It would be a very pleasing task to paint the horticultural 

 outlook for Missouri in bright and glowing colors and to point 

 with pride and complacency to car loads of all manner of fruit 

 leaving every section of our state, for less favored regions, and to 

 express packages full of gold and silver certificates, to fill the 

 already plethoric wallets of the Missouri fruit-growers, received in 

 return. But this cannot truthfully be done. I would not be un- 

 derstood, however, to assert that there are not notable exceptions 

 and localities, where fruit is abundant and the returns for the same 

 are appreciable to the producer. But, while admitting this to be 

 true, it should be understood as referring to the exceptions ! And 

 this state of things is to be accounted for from certain general 

 data, which may as well be given here and now as further on : 



