No. 4.] FRUIT GROWING. 59 



Afternoon Session. 



The meeting was called to order soon after two o'clock by 

 Secretary Sessions, who said : Mr. E. W. Wood of West 

 Newton, chairman of the executive committee of the Board, 

 a gentleman who is well acquainted with the subject we have 

 to discuss this afternoon, will preside. 



Mr. Wood. The subject selected for this afternoon's dis- 

 cussion reads as follows, " Fruit Growing in Massachusetts," 

 This is a subject of especial interest to the farmers of this 

 locality. Worcester County is the banner county of the 

 State in fruit growing, and the fruit product contributes 

 largely to the agricultural products of this county ; and when 

 we remember that by the national census of 1880, of the 2,461 

 counties in the United States there was not a county where 

 the agricultural products equalled those of Worcester 

 County ; and when we remember that l)y the State census 

 of 1885, of all the towns and cities of the Commonwealth, 

 about 350, the agricultural products of the city of Worcester 

 were larger than those of any other city or town in the Com- 

 monwealth (and it would be interesting to know how largely 

 the fruit jiroduct contributes to this amount), — I think it 

 will be admitted by those familiar with this section of the 

 State that there is no other agricultural product for which as 

 much is received that gets so little attention from the farmers 

 generally as the fruit product. That product, especially the 

 leading fruit product of New England, is to most of the 

 farmers an incidental rather than a leading product. 



The committee have selected to open the discussion of this 

 question this afternoon a gentleman who can speak from a 

 long practical and successful experience. I have the pleas- 

 ure of introducing to the audience Mr. J. H. Hale of South 

 Glastonbury, Conn. 



