140 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



unable to raise the Nod Head apple here. I was very much 

 surprised at that, because it is one of my favorite apples. I 

 asked him what was the reason ? He said that as it grew, the 

 limb pushed the apple off and the apples all dropped to the. 

 ground. That was a new theory to me, and I investigated 

 quite a little to find out why that was so, as I couldn't account 

 for it. I asked two or three, but they couldn't give me any 

 answer that was satisfactory, and so I went to see one of the 

 professors. He said that was simple enough ; he said the 

 soil wouldn't produce those stems. I said: "Well, why?" 

 He said : "Why, you all realize that in the soil there are 

 certain ingredients that go to make the stem and leaves, etc., 

 and the soil in Connecticut lacks that substance which was 

 required to make the wooden stem." W^ell, I asked him why. 

 Why, he said, as near as he could find out, and he had made 

 quite a study of it, as near as he could tell, so much of the soil 

 had been extracted to make wooden growth to make into 

 wooden nutmegs, that there was nothing left for the stem of 

 the apple." (Laughter and applause.) 



Now, as I say, we are very modest in Rhode Island, and 

 we dislike very much to bring ourselves before the public, but 

 there are certain things I have been astonished at since I have 

 been here, to meet so many of your people who seem to be 

 intelligent in other ways, who seem to be lacking in one 

 thing, and that is they know so little about other states ex- 

 cept Connecticut. I think Brother Hale has that power of 

 hypnotizing Connecticut people so that they feel there is 

 nothing" outside of this state worthy of living for, or that is 

 worth much anyway. (Laughter.) He forgets, I guess, that 

 in Rhode Lsland we have always boasted of our big cotton 

 mills, and a larger number of looms in one building, and we 

 boast about our wealth, etc., but when it comes down to 

 horticultural or agricultural or pomological results, we have 

 never said much about it. although, of course, it has been 

 known for a great many years that we were the leading state 

 in that line. 



