262 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



great trunk lines of railroad, after traversing the entire length of the 

 State, and another line having a terminus on our western border, cross 

 the continent giving us a connection with the States and the Pacific 

 slope. 



Surrounded and penetrated as Missouri is by these great arteries 

 of commerce, together with her undeveloped resources, what is to hinder 

 her in time from taking her place as one of the foremost states in the 

 great American Republic. Let us then in the future repel with scorn 

 and indignation tbe many insults that have been heaped upon the name 

 of our grand old State. The first man we hear saying "poor old Mis- 

 souri," why just tell him he is mistaken, that we are now sailing 



under a new name. And" now in conclusion, gentlemen, let each and 

 every one of us go back to our several homes firmly impressed with 

 the belief that we, as horticulturists, are representatives of one of the 

 noblest callings ever practiced by any portion of the human race. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Gilbert — In our part of the State we have the curculio, which 

 stings the peaches. One- half of them in Southern Missouri are wormy. 

 What is the most practical way of growing fruit without worms ? 



Pres. Evans — I think the paper gave the remedy. 



Mr. Gilbert — I think Mr. Hopkins has placed the value of the land 

 too high. I bought 300 acres at the price of the rails used to fence it 

 at $1 per hundred. 



Mr. Xelson — I wish to confirm the remarks made in reference to 

 my trip east. I took flour from different mills in this country, with 

 which I went on the Board of Trade at Buffalo. Among those I met 

 was a lot of the old millers I had known before. I offered to put my 

 flour in the hands of any baker they might select, in competition with 

 theirs. They would not accept the challenge. They said they knew 

 what kind of bread could be made from flour from wheat grown in 

 Southwest Missouri. 



We had one table, 126 feet long, covered with apples and backed 

 with corn. L can say, without fear of contradiction, that the poorest 

 samples from Missouri equaled in every particular the best samples 

 from the- four or five states of the east which had fruit at the exhibi- 

 tion. I spent ten days at Buffalo. That fruit had gone through a very 

 trying ordeal. The car was packed full. Some of our best specimens 

 of corn spoiled. Some of our finest Lowell and Maiden Blush apples 

 were gone from excessive heat, but I took to the Inter-State at Elmira 

 150 plates of apples, where they excited just as much wonder. Some 

 of the people said: "If we only felt safe we would send our sons to 

 Missouri.*' 



