28 ANNUAL REPORT 



succession of mild winters brought such eucoura2:ement that we were 

 able to place every croaker on| the list with Ford. Thrifty young or- 

 chards sprang up, and our exhibition tables groaned under their load 

 of luscious apples; and, though the frost king whispered "beware," 

 and croakers thought our trees were struck with death, yet we heeded 

 them not; a shout of victory went up and our fame as an apple-grow- 

 ing State extended as far as Philadelphia and New Orleans. 



Alas! in the heighth of our glory Old Boreas assumed a more savage 

 attitude. He breathed on us with a breath so fierce that it blighted 

 most of our standards and sent the chills to the marrow bones of our 

 faith. He tantalized us with the stigma of being false prophets, and 

 all the Fords seemed to say "Amen! we told you so." 



Thus humiliated, what could we do. Should we surrender? Never. 

 If we seemed to falter, it was but the feint of the expert wrestler to 

 feel our adversary and concentrate our powers for greater efforts. We 

 will build again on a more substantial foundation, and though the 

 completion of our structure may require a new list of varieties and a 

 new list of laborers, yet the ultimatum of the apple question in Min- 

 nesota will be a grand success. And whilst we would profit by our 

 adversities, we raay still remember • 



" And though our toils are hard to bear, 



We have of joys an equal share, 



And less of envious strife and care, whilst liere below." 



To-day, a great city comes to do us honor and to strew roses in our 

 pathway. And a generous public says, "with all thy falts we love 

 thee still." 



Now, sir, I wish I had a better tongue that I might adequately ex- 

 press our gratitude on this occasion. But the best that I can do is to 

 promise that our Society shall go forward in her efforts to ameliorate 

 the condition of mankind, not only as regards the present generation, 

 but as regards the countless millions that are to come after us; and I 

 promise that she will pursue these labors with a sincerity and an en- 

 ergy that shall do honor to her parentage and merit the continued 

 approval of one of the best, one of the most enlightened and one of 

 the most progressive cities on earth. [Applause.] 



