ANNUAL MEETING AT LEXINGTON. 243 



The wliole of the southern portion of our State is destined to be 

 one vast fruit belt and needs only to be known to be utilized. The 

 Ozark region of South Missouri is of the very best of fruit lands in the 

 whole country. I except nothing-, and in a very few years we will see 

 thousands of acres of the finest of fruits growing, thousands of people 

 engaged in the work and hundreds of cars loaded every day and on 

 the road to the market. 



ST. LOUIS FAIR. 



As known to most of you the society failed to make arrangements 

 for the display by our county societies at the St. Louis fair. We could 

 not get the money and privileges we ought to have and hence we 

 thought it prudent not to make the attempt. We might have made a 

 creditable show, but not the one we wanted to make — one that would 

 show the possibilities of our State and its wonderful growth by a dis- 

 play from some, twenty thirty or forty of our best counties. 



But the only display made by the society this year was the one 

 made in St. Louis as a representation of the fruits grown as a whole. 



This collection was made from all parts of the State, and espe- 

 cially does the State society owe its success to our local societies for 

 the fine collections of fruits sent in from the south, of Carthage, Butler, 

 is evada and Springfield ; from the north, of Oregon, St. Joseph and 

 Weston ;, and from the river towns, Kansas City^ Boonville, Columbia 

 and New Florence — all sent in collections of fruits and helped the sum 

 total. 



From all these a collection was made, probably the finest one the 

 society has ever displayed. 



A collection of apples that could not be beaten for size, color, 

 perfection and symmetry. The most perfect and even lot of specimens 

 we have ever had the pleasure to show. 



Of apples, we had two hundred and thirty-seven varieties ; pears, 

 forty varieties ; gxapes, thirty varieties ; quinces, three varieties. 



Our premiums were : 



1st. One hundred dollars on "the largest and best collection of 

 fruits by any society." 



2d. Twenty dollars on "the best collection of apples." 



3d. Seventy-five dollars on "the finest display ; sweepstakes." 



This last premium the society gave back to the fair association, 

 and asked them to have the committee pass over the exhibits again 

 and leave the Missouri Society out of the entries. 



