320 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY. 



[October. 



market fully double the price of those which 

 had not received such care. Such also is the 

 case in our own markets, Baldwin apples of one 

 grower bringing two to three dollars per barrel, 

 while his neighbor's, which had received no such 

 attention, brought but a dollar. To produce such 

 fruit, trees must not only have a good cultiva- 

 tion, but should be properly thinned, — excessive 

 production being alwaj's at the expense of both 

 quantity and quality. This lesson we learned 

 long ago, and I have often endeavored to im- 

 press upon cultivators the importance of follow- 

 ing it. Therefore you will excuse me for calling 

 your attention to it again. 



The export trade of our American products is 

 constantly increasing, and among them the fruits 

 of our country — especially apples — are always in 

 regular demand, and as new facilities are afforded 

 for their shipment a constant trade will be en- 

 sured of great importance and permancy to our 

 commerce. jSTor is this demand likely to fall 

 ofi\ These facts should encourage our fruit 

 growers to devote more and more of their broad 

 acres to the production of fruits to meet the con- 

 stantly increasing foreign demand. 



Value and Importance of Our Society. — I have 

 often spoken of the salutary influence of our 

 association. The more I reflect upon its opera- 

 tions the more am I impressed with its useful- 

 ness, and with the importance of perpetuating 

 it through coming time. " The idea of volun- 

 tary combinations and associations," said Mr. 

 Webster, "is the great modern engine of im- 

 provement." This power of association, bring- 

 ing in contact man with man, and mind with 

 mind, and the information acquired thereby, is 

 of more value than the same information de- 

 rived from books. It is this centralization of 

 experience which has produced by our Society 

 and similar associations the great improvement 

 which we have witnessed in our American fruits. 

 Who can predict what the future influences of 

 our own Society may be when our vast unoccu- 

 pied territory, suited to the cultivation of fruits, 

 shall be occupied for that purpose ? Let us 

 therefore discharge the duties of our day and 

 generation, so that our children may have cause 

 to bless our memories, as we now cherish the 

 names of those who laid the foundations of our 

 Society, and have brought it forward to its pres- 

 ent flourishing condition. 



Our work is of great magnitude, embracing an 

 entire continent, opening up to us new resources 

 and demands, and calling for constant and untir- 



ing energy and enterprise. The importance and 

 usefulness of our association is seen in a review 

 of its work for twenty-seven years, which I gave 

 in my last biennial address. 



We have made great advances during the thir- 

 ty-one years of our history, and experience 

 from the best sources is flowing in to us every 

 daj''. The spirit of investigation is now thor- 

 oughly alive, and we have opportunities for im- 

 provement such as have never been afforded to 

 any other Pomological Association on the globe. 

 Our resources are abundant, and so kindly does 

 nature cooperate with us under the benign influ- 

 ence of man, that he can mould her almost to 

 his will, and make of the rough and acrid wild- 

 ing a most beautiful and delicious fruit, and thus 

 we can go on producing indefinitely as fine 

 varieties as we have ever seen. 



When we review what has already been ac- 

 complished, in a country so varied in soil and 

 climate, who can set bounds to our progress dur- 

 ing the remainder of this century, where, by the 

 exchange of personal experience the represen- 

 tatives from the difierent parts of our' continent 

 become kindly affiliated and united in the bonds 

 of friendship and reciprocal regard, and by pro- 

 moting the cause in which we are engaged we 

 have learned to respect each other. 



All this has been accomplished without finan- 

 cial aid, except that received from membership, 

 and occasional sums from individuals to meet 

 deficiencies. In this connection I desire 'to state 

 that I have paid over to the treasurer three 

 hundred and twenty-seven dollars and twenty- 

 nine cents, being the balance in ni}- hands of 

 the Downing Monument Fund, with interest to 

 this date. This has been done in accordance 

 with the consent of the heirs of Mr. Downing 

 and his administrator, and the committee who 

 had in charge the erection of the monument. 



But the time has now come when means are 

 wanting to constitute a fund to insure the publi- 

 cation of proceedings in future. I take the 

 liberty of suggesting the propriety of soliciting 

 from all life members Avho have paid but ten 

 dollars, to forward to the treasurer ten dollars 

 more each, and make their contributions the 

 same as are required now for life membership. 

 And permit me to add that no better appropria- 

 tion of money can be made, and I trust that 

 when our friends are making donations and be- 

 quests for benevolent objects, they will remem- 

 ber the American Pomological Society. 

 (To he continued.) 



