TWENTY. FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 3 



pared gives promise that the time spent in tliis gathering 

 shall prove worth while, and that the spirit of helpfulness, 

 encouragement and enthusiasm shall be the key-note of our 

 meeting. The year just closed has been a memorable and 

 busy one for the organization. Its activities have extended 

 over a wider field, and have been productive of greater good 

 than in, perhaps, any previous year. These are days of a 

 great awakening, of interest in New England, and her re- 

 sources, and Connecticut is having her share in the movement 

 for the up-lift of agriculture. 



The interest in fruit growing is especially strong, and 

 is greater to-day than ever before in the history of this So- 

 ciety. The desire to invest in lands for fruit culture is 

 seen on every hand, capital is being attracted to the -fruit 

 business, old orchards are being renovated, and new ones 

 planted, many of them on land too long allowed to remain 

 in an unproductive state. All these are helpful signs, and 

 those who have labored to advance the things that our or- 

 ganization stands for may well take encouragement, and 

 feel that the future is bright with promise. 



The season of 1911, for most Connecticut fruit grow- 

 ers, was a profitable one, in spite of the extremely dry 

 weather. 



The superb peach crop of more than half a million bas- 

 kets brought prosperity to the growers and satisfaction to 

 consumers. 



For a number of years in succession we have been 

 blessed with full crops of peaches, but from the outlook at 

 the present time, 1912 will have to be counted among the 

 "off years" in the peach business. 



The apple is, after all, the old standby in fruits, and a 

 moderate crop of fine fruit was produced last season. Con- 

 necticut has many extensive orchards, and more are being 

 planted every year. 



Last season the orchards of our President (Mr. 

 Rogers), alone, yielded a crop of over 3.000 barrels. 



