SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 7 



tary, has the Society been more prosperous and active than 

 in the year just closed. The membership roll has reached a 

 high point, the meetings and exhibitions have been frequent 

 and well attended, our efforts to increase the usefulness of 

 the organization to the fruit growers of the State have met 

 with approval and success, and our finances are on a sounder 

 basis than ever before. In short, the record for 1907 is open 

 to the public and we are not ashamed of it. 



But we should not rest content with present conditions, 

 or feel that we can let up in the least in our labors to carry 

 out the purposes of the organization. We must urge each 

 other on to further progress, realizing that greater energy and 

 enthusiasm than ever, are needed, in order to meet the con- 

 stantly increasing competition in the fruit business and to 

 solve the many serious problems that confront the fruit grower 

 of to-day. We must direct our efforts to grow large — hand- 

 some fruit of high color and quality, equalling, in these 

 respects, the fruit grown in any region. 



We should strongly favor the improvement of the home 

 fruit garden for the sake of greater home enjoyment and the 

 increased satisfaction and better health resulting from the 

 free use of good fruit. If we but do our part, our chances for 

 success and satisfactory financial returns are as great as they 

 ever were. Certain it is, if we intelligently carry out the 

 teachings of this Pomological Society and induce others to 

 follow them, it will be the means of adding much to the wealth 

 of the State, besides bringing profit, pleasure and health to all 

 of its citizens. 



The failure of the peach crop last season was perhaps the 

 greatest disappointment our Connecticut growers had to meet, 

 but on the other hand, 1907 was fairly favorable for most 

 other fruit crops, and it was again demonstrated that the apple 

 is still the "king of fruits" and the surest money-maker of 

 any fruit for New England planting, for, although the crop 

 was but a moderate one, extremely good prices were realized 

 and growers felt satisfied. In this connection one cannot help 

 but ask why more of our present unproductive hill-farms are 



