264 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



amateur, who grew them only for home use, the small fruit crop was 

 satisfactory. 



The apple crop promised very fair early in the season, but the long 

 continued dry, hot weather cut the crop very short, and while cider ap- 

 ples and windfalls were plenty, really good winter apples were very 

 scarce, and the few that were shipped brought rather low prices, so 

 the apple business has been rather unsatisfactory this season. A few 

 of the trees that had been affected by the hard winter of 1885 gave up 

 the ghost during the dry weather, but at the present time most of the 

 orchards are in fair condition and give and promise^ for another year. 

 Taking all in all, the Horticulturists of Bates county feel encouraged, 

 and while othprs may excel us in results, in zeal for the good cause we 

 expect to be the peer of any county in the great State of Missouri. 



Eespectfully submitted, 



HENRY SPEER, 



Secretary. 



REPORT OF MOI^TGOMERY COUNTY HORTICULTURAL- 



SOCIETY. 



F. LIONBERGEE, NEW FLORENCE. 



Ladies and Gentlemen — I find in the programme of this meet- 

 ing, that the secretaries of local horticultural societies are required to- 

 report. Just what Mnd of a report is wanted, I do not know. How- 

 ever, 1 beg leave to report as follows : Just about one year ago, Mont- 

 gomery County Horticultural Society held its. first annual meeting, the 

 society than being about three months old. At that meeting we elected 

 oflficers and adopted the by-laws as they are published in the horticul- 

 tural reports of our State for local societies. In electing officers we 

 liad considerable trouble to get men that were qualified for their work, 

 as we were all without any experience of the kind ; living as we 

 did in the back woods, we found this to be a serious trouble ; however 

 we pushed ahead and did the best we could. We elected Judge S* 



