4 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



to fruit growing as a business, which will yield sure returns for labor 

 and capital. 



The financial affairs of the Society are in good condition. It has 

 been the effort of the officers to make a strict application of the life 

 membership fees to the benefit of the permanent fund. So far as 

 the Society has a debt it is represented by the deficiency in this fund. 

 The founders of the Society intended to make this fund a source of 

 revenue to the Socieiy, and it is believed that the same fostering 

 care in future will bring the fund up to the amount required under 

 our by laws. There has been an effort to administer all the affairs 

 of the Society with economy, and with this in view the expenditures 

 have been kept within its income. 



The executive committee have been called together only when 

 absolutely necessary, and at the meetings of the committee the 

 business of the Society has been given careful attention. 



The institute work conducted under the Secretary of the Board of 

 Agriculture has shown the wisdom of the Legislature in granting a 

 larger appropriation for this purpose. Speakers representing our 

 Society and the interests of fruit culture have been fully recognized 

 in the programmes, and so far as the secretary is able to report they 

 have faithfully served the interests iutrusted to them. As this insti- 

 tute fund is to be used in the interest of agriculture it seems entireb; 

 proper that fruit growing should be given a place in the work com- 

 mensurate with its importance. 



A large number of fruit trees were set in 1891, but they were 

 mostly in small lots upon farms where fruit growing is one of the 

 sources from which the farmer has products to sell. There is also 

 abundant evidence of wide-spread interest in fruit culture from all 

 parts of the State, but there are very few who make it the leading 

 industry of the farm. These fruit growers, by the way, are among 

 the most successful farmers, and as they find that orcharding pays 

 better than general farming are enlarging their business and aiming 

 at the production of more and better fruit. This, we believe, is true 

 that those who have produced the best fruit, and the most intelli- 

 gently overcome the difficulties, have received the most profit from 

 their labors. As the area of fruit production in the country increases 

 year by year we must not expect very high prices, for not alone do 

 we compete with apples grown from Maine to California, but there 

 are oranges, bananas, grapes and other fruits that are selling so 

 eneaply it is not strange that people buy them for dessert in place 



