388 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



While I le;irn to appreciate these societies more and more, I seem 

 to gain a higher estimate of our own society also. I was quite gratified 

 to hear our exhibition in St. Louis, very highly spoken of, in one of the 

 papers in Illinois, .showing that it will not only be long remembered by 

 the man)- tnousands who enjoyed it on the spot, but will be also a mat- 

 ter of record in their proceedings. I am glad and proud of our horticul- 

 tural society, and especially of our officers. Glad that we have the good 

 sense to re-elect them every time, or as long as they do better service 

 for the state than any others could, and not consider it merely an honor 

 to be passed around in turn. 



Would that our leading and average farmers could see their own 

 and the general interest as well as horticulturists do. We could then 

 have farmers' institutes somewhat like surrounding states, instead of 

 electing men to office who traduce and vilify anyone who tries to urge 

 improved farming, and cut off any proposed or existing pittance of ap- 

 propriation for the direct benefit of agriculture, and this, not only by rec- 

 ognized demagogues, but by bonafide grangers themselves, as was done 

 with the State Entomologist. 



The southern two-thirds of Illinois, and cme- third of Iowa, seemed 

 to have had as full a crop of apples the past year, as the age and condition 

 of trees could possibly yield, just as in our state. Any considerable dis- 

 tance north of this zone, there were but few trees left, except of a few 

 iron clad varieties, mostly summer and fall. The intensely anxious agi- 

 tation and search for hardy varieties for this northern belt, has checked 

 or retarded planting far south of it, as well as in the belt itself, which 

 last year's crop will retrieve to a great extent. The idea of top-grafting 

 favorite varieties on iron clad nursery trees, may be gaining some advo- 

 cates, but it is not likely to become generally or extensively adopted. 

 The ultimate success in finding or originating iron clads as good as any 

 of our old sorts, can not be mistrusted when we know something of their 

 extensive and energetic efforts. In fact they have now specimens that 

 abundantly prove it can be done. But when we consider the length of 

 time required to fully demonstrate all desirable qualities, and the num- 

 erous possible discoveries of defects concealed by the ever varying sea- 

 sons, etc., etc., our old varieties would seem to have a large field of use- 

 fulness yet open before them. 



I was quite surprised to find two men from Union County, nearly 

 on the same water-shed as I am, in south central Iowa, who reported 

 successful and profitable pear orchards of hundreds of trees. The blight 

 had never been destructive, which they attributed to judicious cultiva- 

 t on, whatever that ma)' mean. As well as I could learn from them, it 



