250 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



if they were but placed where people want them at reasonable rates. 

 How many thousand of our people never see them on their tables, and 

 yet perhaps not many miles away they are lying in plenty awaiting a 

 sale. If every one could only have them to eat, how long do you think 

 we would talk of a surplus ? 



The one great benetit of a great crop of fruit is that thousands will 

 use them who never used them before, and thus become regular fruit 

 buyers. 



The other day in going to the cider mill with a load of apples some 

 boys asked for an apple and I began throwing them out to them ; soon 

 a crowd began following and I kept throwing, and as we were crossing 

 a railroad track where a lot of men were at work they began grabbing 

 them, and I kept throwing out as we went along, now with both hands, 

 and the men began leaving their work and running after them from 

 away up the track, and in spite of their boss' yells they kept coming 

 until they all had their hands full. How quickly such a crowd could 

 cause a surplus to disappear. What we want is quick and cheap trans- 

 portation to these needy points. 



OUR MISSOURI FRUIT SHOW. 



I hope we can make next fall, and the attempt will again be made 

 to induce the fair association, either at St. Louis or Kansas City, to give 

 us the money for the premiums and the buildings, and then let the 

 society manage the rest of the work. If therefore, we have a good 

 fruit crop this year I hope we can succeed in our plan of holding the 

 great fruit show, from twenty, thirty or forty counties of the State, 

 each trying to do its best in the exhibition and in showing the people 

 what we can do in the fruit business. 



FRUIT STATISTICS 



Are as necessary as are our crop statistics. We know just what the 

 crop of wheat and corn is, and always have a good estimate of the 

 coming crop, but of the fruits we have very little satisfactory knowl- 

 edge. If we could get a good idea of what the crop of fruit will be, the 

 fruit growers would get a more uniform price for their fruits and our 

 buyers would not reap all the advantages. 



Monthly crop reports and statistics are what we shall attempt to 

 ■obtain if, we have the money given us to do it with, in the future. 



