STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. II 



of welcome, so feelingly uttered. I thank him in behalf of the 

 society, and thank you as citizens of Lewiston for these earnest 

 words, and the many evidences we have of a meaning which is 

 deeper sometimes than words, of a desire to cooperate with us. 



Almost fifty years this society has been holding these annual 

 gatherings through the towns and villages and cities of the 

 state of Maine, with the hope that thereby we might increase 

 the interest, and strengthen the desire for the growing of better 

 fruit. These are your sessions, as well as ours, and I wish that 

 every member of the chamber of commerce, and every citizen 

 of the city of Lewiston, might feel tonight, as he goes out of 

 the hall, that he is an ambassador, sent out by this society to 

 spread the word that this hall is open for the next two days to 

 the citizens of Auburn and Lewiston and the adjoining towns, 

 and to the whole state of Maine, and that we shall not be 

 satisfied unless the people come here in numbers to examine 

 the fruit, to listen to the addresses, to talk over the subjects 

 which interest us all, and then to go home with a better appre- 

 ciation of what we are doing. The sessions are for the state of 

 Maine, and not alone for the State Pomological Society. 



Sometimes, according to the local press, somebody has evi- 

 dently sufifered because he has bought a peck of apples, and 

 has not got what he expected, for I read occasionally a com- 

 plaint about the quality of apples grown in the state of Maine, 

 But I want to say that the citizens of Lewiston can buy as 

 good apples as the citizens of London or Edinburgh if they 

 Vv^ant to. The price of apples in the state of Maine this year 

 is from three dollars to three and a half, per barrel, for choice. 

 No. I fruit, and there is not a man in Lewiston but could have 

 all he wanted. But if you prefer to go into your stores and pay 

 thirty-five cents a peck for cider apples, do it. But do not 

 blame the Pomological Society, and do not blame the growers. 

 Every fruit grower in Maine is doing, or trying to do, just 

 what every good business man is trying to do, — find the best 

 market for his fruit. And he is not at fault for doing it. 



I have been looking through some of the stores the past few 

 days, and I have been surprised at the price which was asked, 

 and the quality of the fruit which I found there. And dealers 

 told me that it was the best that was offered. And yet, as 1 

 know, and as you know, in Auburn, and Turner, and Lewiston, 

 and Greene, and Wales, and all the adjoining ti^wns, just as 



