FOURTEEN TH A NN UAL MEETING. 1 1 



more and more that "the institute is the farmer's school." It 

 goes farther than even the Experiment Station or the Aj:Ti- 

 cultural College. In fact, it is the medium through which 

 the results of station and college work are brought directly 

 to the farmer and in such shape that he may put the teachings 

 into practice. 



The present tendency is to devote the annual state meet- 

 ings to the discussion of the important matters connected 

 with the business end of farming, leaving to the institute and 

 the smaller local gatherings the teaching and discussion of 

 those details that enter into the production of the crop. This 

 is as it should be, and is a wise economy of time and money. 

 Probably not more than one-fourth of the farmers of our 

 state can attend these state gatherings. For the larger num- 

 ber, therefore, the local institute is of the greatest importance. 

 Then let us not cease our efiforts until Connecticut shall have 

 put in operation an institute system worthy to be compared 

 \\ith that of other states. 



The Society's Annual Report of i66 pages was prepared 

 and issued to the members in the spring. Like the preceding 

 volumes, it was a book of great practical value and interest 

 to every cultivator of fruits. Numerous requests for this 

 publication come in from other states ; thus the work of Con- 

 necticut fruit growers is known and honored over a wide 

 area. Another line of work continued in 1904 was the gath- 

 ering of figures for a fruit crop report, also statistics relating 

 to the injury to orchard trees by winter-killing the previous 

 wnnter. Such a census is of value for reference in future 

 years and we believe should be continued annually. 



In conclusion, a word in regard to the work of the Society 

 in the year to come. This is a problem that should have our 

 thoughtful attention, because no organization of this kind can 

 live unless it earns the right to live. To begin with, we would 

 do well to ask w^hat lines of work need most to be done. In 

 brief, the needs of the Society are the needs of the growers. 

 The growers' needs, as we see them, are : First, a stronger 

 belief in the possibilities of Connecticut as a fruit growing 

 state, as a state in which to build pleasant homes surrounded 



