i6o THE CONNECTICUT FOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



DISCRETIONARY PREMIUMS 



Basket of Assorted Fruit. 



N. S. Baldwin, Meriden. First, $i. 

 H. L. Fairchild, Nichols. 



Japan Quince, Red-Flowering. First, $i. 



After the evening session of October 3 had been called 

 to order, President Hale introduced Mayor Ives, of Meri- 

 den, who spoke kind words of greeting. 



President Hale then explained the object of the Society 

 and what had led up to a successful exhibition like this. 

 The purpose of the Society was to show the difference 

 between good and poor fruit, and the possibilities of intel- 

 ligent soil culture in Connecticut. 



Secretary Gold, of the State Board of Agriculture, was 

 introduced and spoke briefly. The Society, he said, was a 

 traveling horticultural high school. Its members had come 

 to Meriden because they wanted to do Meriden some good 

 in the line of pomology. 



George T. Powell, of Ghent, N. Y. , was next introduced, 

 and spoke on the "Refinements of Horticulture." After 

 demonstrating the fact that horticulture is the most refining 

 of all occupations, he said, in brief : 



"We want to see the products of the soil reach the 

 same state of perfection as our manufactured products, and 

 go to the markets of all the world. In England horticul- 

 tural work is worth more than in this country. There is 

 no comparison between the fruit of the western and eastern 

 sections of the country. What the markets want is quality, 

 and we are going to give it to them. The abandoned farms 

 can be made to pay in producing such fruit. There is no 

 exhausted land in New England ; all of it can be made to 

 produce fine fruits. It is not extensive culture that we 

 want, but intensive culture. 



"Small fruit culture promises great things to Connecti- 

 cut land-owners. Clover should be used to improve the 

 soil and to furnish plant-food. Red clover plowed under 

 in the fall is good for strawberries. Seed to crimson clover 

 in late summer and plow this in early next spring in time 

 for strawberry planting. 



" The color of the exhibited fruit shows that our soil is 



