FIFTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 1 17 



the solution of some of the problems that confront the fruit 

 growers, but we may depend upon other people for solving 

 part of the problems which we share along with them. Now 

 there is in the United States a double system calculated to 

 assist practical farmers in their operations. There is a National 

 department of agriculture, and a system of United States 

 experiment stations. On the state's part there is a state agri- 

 cultural college in each one of the states of the union, the 

 state agricultural college contributing to the work of the 

 United States experiment station in that state. It seems to 

 me it is going to be good policy to further the ends of both 

 of these great institutions. Connecticut is not prepared, so far 

 as we can judge, to assume the full burden of all the experi- 

 mental work that ought to be done in the interest of the prac- 

 tical men who are up against these serious problems in fruit 

 growing. Connecticut, like all other states, needs friends at 

 the great seat of government. One of ' the best friends the 

 farmer has to-day in Congress is the Hon. H. C. Adams of 

 Wisconsin. ^Nlr. Adams has for several years pushed a bill 

 for the further endowment of the experiment stations, that is 

 to say. the United States experiment stations in the different 

 states of the union. This year we are given pretty good 

 assurance that there is a strong probability that the bill which 

 Mr. Adams has introduced will become a law, and that will 

 increase, if it does become a law, resources in each state for 

 experimental work. You have had our station men in your 

 institutes in all parts of this state. The files of our experi- 

 ment station and college are loaded with letters containing 

 inquiries from men who have had trouble at home and who 

 wanted help. We have sent our men to your orchards and 

 to you personally to talk things over. Some of them have led 

 you astray, as Mr. Skillman said yesterday he had been led 

 astray on some points. But, gentlemen, you see we have been 

 learning from you, and you have on the whole, we believe. 

 been learning from us. Now, on our part, we must imme- 

 diately ask you to build a horticultural building at the Con- 

 necticut agricultural college at the state expense ; we must 

 ask you to give us some greenhouses at the college at the state 

 expense ; we shall also have to ask you to give us a good model 



