302 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The fruit interests of our state — what a wonderful crop we have had 

 surely. The strawberry crop, the raspberry, the blackberry, the cherry 

 and peach in some portions, the apple, a crop beyond anything the state 

 has ever had before, and such perfect fruit, so beautifully colored and of 

 such immense size. The fruits of our state have paid to any one, splen ■ 

 did returns, if they have but judiciously handled them. Many a small 

 fruit orchard has paid our farmers more than all the rest of the farm, in 

 fact as one of our members say "it takes the fruit farm to keep up the 

 other." Our fruit interests run up into the millions of dollars this year, 

 and if any one has failed to make money, it is because they have failed 

 to properly dispose of their fruits. 



Our society and its interests has been growing and improving as our 

 work has become known, and as more and more of our fruit men become 

 interested; all that is necessary in our work is to have the united effort 

 of all our fruitgrowers, to advance our cause in the state. As our Hor- 

 ticultural societies increase in members we find new persons interested 

 in the work and men are becoming known as particularly interested in 



fruit. 



Wc have now eighteen Horticulturul societies in the state, most of 



them doing good service, and in active work; and wherever this is done 

 we cannot fail to find the fruit interests increasing in importance and in 



influence. 



Phelps county, headquarters at Rolla, has organized with thirty 



members, and with the wonderful advantages ot fruit culture in that 



county, I look for a live, wide-awake society. Not only in apples, but 



also in peaches, Phelps county should take a front rank. I believe that 



the fruit interests are the most important matters of that county, and 



every effort should be made to develop them. 



Since coming to this meeting, I am glad to learn that Laclede 



county has been organized, and we will now have a county society at 



Lebanon, due to the efforts of our friend, A. Nelson. 



You have heard what this Ozark region will do for our fruits, and 



the society has a "big job" on its hands to properly develop and direct 



this interest. 



It does me good, and you good also, to thus see the influence of our 



society spreading and developing, until the prophecy of our president 



will be fullfiUed, and we will see a society in all of our best counties. 



