338 s ANNUAL REPORT 



Next ia importance to the canning business are the drying 

 establishments. The one I visited at San Jose had a capacity to 

 handle forty tons of green fruit per day. The process in dry- 

 ing prunes and some other fruits is first to dip in hot lye, then 

 rinse, then place on platters in the dry house about four hours, 

 then change to the open ground, in the sun, where the process is 

 soon completed. 



The worthy President of our Society requested me to give 

 some kind of report of the American horticultural meeting held 

 last winter at San Jose. I can only speak from the most pleasant 

 recollections. The meeting of the society was most happily con- 

 ceived, arranged and carried out, and royal guests could not 

 have received a more hearty welcome than did the disciples of 

 Flora and Pomona upon this auspicious occasion. We met 

 there for the first time as representative horticulturists from all 

 the states east of the mountains, and shall I say that we there 

 found much in little; better far, we found much in much, and 

 much more. 



I shall not pretend to give any detailed account of the society's 

 transactions; they are already published in book form which 

 anyone can procure by sending two dollars to W. H. Eagan, 

 secretary, Greencastle, Ind., who will send you the volume and 

 enroll your name in the list of the honorary members of that 

 society. If you are a growing scion of progressive horticulture 

 you will have more than cause to thank me for these suggestions. 



I can truly say that the hospitality of the people of California 

 is unbounded and which can only be compared with the state it- 

 self which is more than a thousand miles long and twice as wide 

 if the journey had to be made east or west on foot. But then 

 we did not have to walk, they carried us wherever they wished 

 to have us go. We were the guests of the railroads and of the 

 cities and towns wherever we went and none of our party 

 seemed inclined to go anywhere else. Our meeting at San Jose 

 was one not to be forgotten. Every preparation had been made 

 for our reception, entertainment and enjoyment. 



We were first taken to their homes (every body seemed to be 

 keeping open house) and made to feel that they were our homes 

 as well. 



The meeting was formally opened on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 1888, 

 at 10 o'clock A. M., Hon. Parker Earle, president, in the chair. 

 But I shall omit any details of the proceedings of the meeting for 

 reasons already given. 



