160 



ing with Mr. Eice and it certainly was worth waiting for as 

 every one attested. 



The Hampden County Improvement League furnished 

 auto transportation from North Wilbraham and co-operated 

 in making the meeting a success. The speaker of the day 

 was Mr. A. T. Henry of Wallingford, Conn. who congrat- 

 ulated Mr. Rice on his orchards saying that his cultivation 

 was the best he had ever seen in this country. Mr. Henry 

 took up peach raising from the time of preparing the land 

 until the marketing of the fruit. Mr. Rice described his 

 method and although he expected at this time to have a crop 

 of only about 2500 baskets we were glad to learn later that 

 8000 baskets were harvested. 



Mr. S. C. Sevey editor of the New England Homestead, 

 spoke of the importance of arousing western Massachusetts 

 to an appreciation of the importance of fruit growing. 



General Secretary Scheuerle of the League emphasized 

 the importance of organizing and getting together for busi- 

 ness purposes. 



Mr. Frank M. Kinney was the last speaker and told of 

 conditions in the state of Washington where the growers 

 had to organize and get together to meet eastern competi- 

 tion. He called attention to the fire blight which within a 

 few weeks destroyed orchards costing $1,000 or more an 

 acre. This is just making its appearance in New England 

 and should be nipped in the bud. 



TURNER HILL 



The field meeting at Turner Hill Farm, Ipswich on Sat- 

 urday, August 16, 1913 was everything which could be de- 

 sired at the largest and best developed orchards of apple, 

 pear and small fruits of any farm of Massachusetts. Autos 

 from New Hampshire were almost as plentiful as those of 

 Massachusetts, and the members coming by train from Bos- 

 ton were more than the trains could seat in addition to 

 regular traffic. Autos carried members between station and 

 the farm. 



After lunch in the grove with plenty of iced "ginger 

 pop," Mr. Fred A. Smith of Hawthorne, formerly Superin- 

 tendent of Turner Hill Farm, described the methods used in 

 reclaiming the wild land and developing the fine young or- 



