92 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



David and Deborah White Eaton, my paternal grandparents 

 twice removed. Deborah was the great, great granddaughter 

 of Elder John White, of this town of Hartford. She lived in 

 Coventry, Conn., married David Eaton in Tolland and came 

 to Nova Scotia in 1761. The wedding ring which sealed that 

 compact was worn by my mother during her married life. 



When I received the cordial invitation from your Secre- 

 tary a few weeks ago to attend this convention, it seemed 

 like a call to render up an account of the stewardship of those 

 relatives and the one hundred and fifty settlers who came 

 with them, mostly from Connecticut, and who, with their 

 descendants, developed the fruit industry which has made 

 our province quite famous. It is a very great pleasure to 

 come to the home country of these forefathers. It afifords 

 me great pleasure to be with you. I appreciate the 

 honor which your Society has conferred on me in being 

 selected from among Canadians. But I must tell you 

 that in addition to the pleasure I anticipated in com- 

 ing, I felt I had a duty to perform. I feel that Nova Scotia 

 in recent years has been under great obligations to Connecti- 

 cut, an obligation which I should take this opportunity to 

 acknowledge. Not a little of the knowledge of small-fruit 

 culture and of the use of commercial fertilizers ; not a little 

 of the inspiration, the enthusiasm for larger projects, the 

 knowledge of how to conduct them and the spirit of hustle 

 which has been absorbed in Nova Scotia, has come from 

 your most generous hearted fruit grower of South Glaston- 

 bury, Mr. J. H. Hale. This can be very distinctly traced in 

 the large and small fruit industry of our province, and many 

 are the expressions of gratitude I have heard from our lead- 

 ing fruit men for the unfailing kindness in answering at 

 length their numerous questions plied from time to time. 

 Some men claim to have horticultural secrets. There seems 

 no knowledge in this man's possession too good to give 

 away. Truly, with him it seems more blessed to give than 

 to receive. 



Before referring in particular to this industry, which has 

 made Nova Scotia known among more people in the world 

 perhaps than any other of its products, let me refer just 



