STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 49 



headed up quite high, four to five feet, as the limhs have a tend- 

 ency to droop and would interfere with cultivation. 



We would like again to call the attention of our fruit growers 

 to an organization that was formed a year ago, with a name 

 something like this : The ]\laine Fruit Growers' Association. 

 It was formed for the purpose of furnishing a better market for 

 our fruit, and we would suggest that during these years of scanty 

 fruit it would be a good time to perfect the organization, for 

 we believe there is jitst as great a demand for such an organiza- 

 tion now as there was at that time, and if we wait until the heavy 

 crop is here it is then too late to be of the most benefit to us. 

 We believe the officers were chosen and instructed to do certain 

 things. Let the fruit growers hear from them and if possible 

 let them report progress. 



During the past year our society has changed its usual course 

 ■of procedure in so far as it relates to the autumn exhibition with 

 the Maine State Agricultural Society. The reasons therefor 

 were printed in circular form by our secretary and distributed 

 to each of our members. The object for which our society was 

 brought into existence was to advance the interests of fruit 

 culture, and not to distribute the State stipend and our income 

 from our permanent fund. And so far as we could see. for the 

 past few years, there was very little of the educational feattire 

 prevailing at the usual autumn exhibition. The same people 

 were there, and apparently some of them, at least, for the same 

 purpose, to get what money they could out of the society's funds. 

 And one of the arguments for an exhibition with the State 

 society was that the people could bring something, and take 

 premiums enough from our society to pay their expenses while 

 attending the fair. In our opinion the society has been localized 

 too much ; it should be spread out. Give the people in dift'erent 

 parts of the State the benefit of the money taken from them in 

 taxes and not give it all to one set of people. There has hardly 

 been an exhibit from York county at oiu- State fair exhibition 

 for the last five years. — I could almost say, for the last ten years. 

 And if you should attend an exhibition where people from the 

 southern part of the State made an exhibit of fruit, apples, pears, 

 and plums, we are very confident that anyone could see at a 

 glance that they were not nearly so far advanced in fruit culture 

 and the knowledge of varieties as the fruit growers of some 



