68 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



which were not of the known varieties received no blue ribbons. 

 The lesson ought to come home to us not to put on exhibition 

 any apples that have gone by and have served their purpose, 

 when there are so many nice, leading varieties that we can use 

 to advantage. 



This New England Fruit Show is an incentive for better fruit 

 for New England, and our end of it means better, fruit for 

 Maine. Now are we in it for that? If so, let us touch elbows, 

 and not only that, but grasp hands and agree that it shall be bet- 

 ter fruit for New England hereafter. 



An old gentleman came in with the secretary of the associa- 

 tion and as he was viewing the apples I was introduced to this 

 man. I had known him by name and reputation from boyhood. 

 That man was James J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, known to 

 all of you, the veteran seed man, now eighty-two years old. And 

 as I stood with him he gazed at the bank of Maine apples and 

 this is what he said: "Do you know what I am going to do? 

 I am going to deposit a one thousand dollar first mortgage bond 

 with the secretary of the New England Fruit Show, the interest 

 of which in five years shall go to the best developed acre of 

 fruit trees in Maine, planted in 1910. The suggestion was 

 made to Mr. Gregory that he deposit the bond with the Maine 

 Department of Agriculture and a little later he carried out 

 this plan. In the conditions he eliminated one apple, the Ben 

 Davis. 



Now that pleased me very much. I have always preached 

 against the Ben Davis, although I had some co-workers with me 

 up there at the New England Fruit Show who are growing this 

 variety, and in fact, I introduced one of them to Mr. Gregory 

 at the time just to show him that he was out of the race. But 

 do you know that man, right from your own county here, was 

 so much pleased over the offer that he said to Mr. Gregory : 

 "I want to present you w'th my best box of apples in this 

 exhibit. Select the box." He did so and it was not a Ben 

 Davis. 



Now there is an incentive for each one of us here in Maine. 

 It shows that men of means are interested in the future of better 

 fruit for Maine. Mr. Gregory said : "I fell in love with Maine 

 people almost as soon as I started in business." And you know 

 he has been in business since you and I were boys. 



