46 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETT. 



MAINE APPLES AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. 

 By Willis A. LrCE, Uuiou. 

 Mr. President, Ladies and Friends : 



It is rather a peculiar subject to talk upon. Some people who have 

 come back from the Fair have not spoken very encouragingly of our 

 exhibit. I am going to speak of the exhibit not as ii was after the 

 first of June but was before that time. "What I wish to show most 

 of all is, some of the disadvantages under which our Society' has. 

 been placed and under which they labored in securing a Maine 

 exhibit at the AYorld's Fair, also that while the exhibit was in the 

 care of the Pomological S )ciety it was a credit to the State. 



In the first place, the Society, late in the season of 1892, about 

 the time of our annual meeting at Lewiston, were a&ked to go ahead 

 in this matter and make arrangements for exhibiting Maine fruits at 

 the World's Fair at Chicago. The question came up as to the 

 amount of money that should be given for that purpose, and the 

 executive commissioner said that $1,000 was all that would be 

 allowed the Societ}'. Of course any sensible man would say 

 immediately that such an amount would be inadequate for so great 

 an undertaking. Our Society hesitated and said they would not 

 have anything to do with it, as the amount would not show Maine 

 fruits as they should be and consequently wou'd not- show 

 Maine fruits. That was the right conclusion. It is an important 

 industry, bringing to our State nearly a million and a half annually, 

 and the idea that only $1,000 should be allowed to represent it at 

 the World's Fair was a disgrace to the State. 



The fruit growers of the State came to the secretar}' and president 

 and urged them beyond their better judgment that they should make 

 an exhibit of Maine fruits. They knew that our fruit stands high 

 iu the market and we wanted to let the world know what kind of 

 fruit we grovr here in Maine ; at the earnest solicitation of these 

 men the society undertook the task and determined to do what they 

 could for Maine at Chicago. A committee was appointed to collect 

 all the varieties they thought would keep and put them in storage 

 for use in the springtime, to send forward. The fruit was col- 

 lected. Good specimens of each variety were selected as could be 

 secured at that time. The committee labored under this disad- 



