154 



Although our books show 891 memberships paid since 

 the last annual meeting of course there are some who are 

 recorded twice, i. e. those who joined at Worcester for 1912 

 and who have also since paid for 1913, and there are a few 

 whose dues are as yet unpaid. Hence our total membership 

 list March 1st is 940, of whom 468 are new members since 

 the books were closed March 8, 1912. Exactly one half of 

 these new ones were received at Boston in January. We may 

 consider our Association in a broader aspect than a state 

 affair, as we now have 75 members outside of our boundaries, 

 mostly in New England. There are 35 ladies who are now 

 members and the 2iumber is constantly increasing. 



FIELD MEETINGS AND INSTITUTES. Owing to 

 crop shortage only one peach field meeting was held but this 

 was very successful. The fame of the splendid young peach 

 orchards of Director Edmund Mortimer of Grafton with 

 2000 baskets of ripening Waddell brought members from all 

 over the state and an auto party from Wilton, N. H., Aug. 

 1, 1912. Block after block of many ages and varieties of 

 trees all in the pink of condition were visited and after a 

 basket lunch under the pines, prominent visitors from out- 

 side the state as well as our local growers spoke on peach 

 growing. 



The visit to Hillside Orchards of E. Cyrus Miller of 

 Haydenville, September 26, 1912, showed an orchard in 

 action as the picking of his 3000 barrel crop of splendid 

 Baldwins was then going on. His methods of harvesting 

 were shown and his orchards planted where had been stand- 

 ing timber, were seen "before and after" as a new section 

 of woodland was to be cleared this winter for new orchard- 

 ing. 



A successful institute was held in Marlboro February 

 26, 1913, when the reports of the Boston meeting were dis- 

 tributed to paid up members. Prof. F. C. Sears spoke on 

 "Spraying" to the intense interest of all present at the 

 morning session, while at the afternoon session Pres., John 

 P. Bowditch of the Middlesex South Agricultural Society 

 introduced Mr. F. A. Smith, of Ipswich who gave many 

 practical points on Small Fruits. Two hundred and twenty- 

 five were present and 12 new members obtained. 



