TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 163 



are inclined to think that of all the eastern associations our 

 closest competitors are cjoing- to be the Connecticut people. 



When I came through Washington nn Monday. I stopped 

 at the Agricultural Department to tell some of my friends I 

 was coming up to Connecticut to the Connecticut Horticul- 

 tural meeting, and the officials of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture told me : '"You will find some live wires up there, those 

 are hustling, go-ahead people." And when I stopped in New 

 York to see a friend from \'irginia who has an orchard down 

 in A'irginia. he said : "Tell the Connecticut Pomological So- 

 ciety they don't know it. but I joined and paid my dollar 

 because they are live, go-ahead people and I want to be with 

 them," and that is the estimation in which you are held outside 

 of your own state. ( Applause. ) 



\Miile I am telling you these somewhat fragmentary 

 stories I have a series of photographs here that I am going to 

 ask the Secretary to pass around to the audience, and you will 

 find at the bottom of each picture a legend describing the view. 

 You see there is a method in this scheme, because it is easier for 

 me to talk if \ou are looking at the photographs and not 

 paying so much attention to the speaker. 



Now they say we are developing in the little valley of \'ir- 

 ginia in some ways along correct lines. In other ways we are 

 just as far behind as anybody can be. We have not been able 

 yet to perfect any fruit growers' association so far as selling 

 our produce is concerned, but we have developed an organiza- 

 tion for some other purposes, and if I have time I would like 

 to make some suggestions to you on that line. We have an 

 organization with regard to making fruit exhibits, and inci- 

 dentally you have a photograph there of a part of an exhibit 

 recently made at the State Horticultural Society at Frederick. 

 The judge at that show was the same that was the judge at 

 the great apple show at the Pacific Northwest ap])le show, 

 and he made the statement publicly after the show was over, 

 that it was the best exhibition of non-irrigated fruit that he 

 had ever seen up to that time. Of course, that was diplomat- 



