34 
AMERICAN POMOIvOGICAE SOCIETY 
and fruit growing and the basement which had been fitted up the year before 
for manual training was used for making root grafts in which each pupil 
became quite skillful. 
There was never a school day when fruits of some kind were not in 
evidence and with the opening of Spring the opportunity came for doing 
field work and the privilege of going out into the orchards and vineyards 
and fields was made as a premium upon satisfactory work in the academic 
department. It was an inspiration to the entire neighborhood to see the 
interest manifested by the boys and girls under the leadership of Miss Mercer. 
An unusual amount of pride was developed on the part of every farmer 
whose premises the school was expected to visit on a certain date; and the 
beauty of the entire scheme was exhibited in the diffusion of knowledge so 
that every patron was in a sense educated along the lines of tuition which 
had been given the children. 
The Lasting Results. 
All this occurred ten years ago. The teacher finished her course at the 
Agricultural College and has entered upon her life work. The children 
many of them have gone to homes of their own but this school district is a 
marked location in the entire state. There is no place in which better 
fruits are grown and every orchard and vineyard and garden is well 
cared for and the neighborhood organization which was started in connec- 
tion with the last year’s work of Miss Mercer in the school, has developed 
into an unusual society for the upbuilding of a farm community. The men 
and women who go out from this locality to grange meetings and horti- 
cultural gatherings, are most useful in carrying to the public the spirit of 
their neighborhood. And having a Miss Mercer for each country school we 
can duplicate indefinitely throughout our land the accomplishments which 
have been invaluable to this country school district. 
Are we ready as an association to cast our influence in the direction 
of our Normal schools aud urge them to develop this type of teachers for 
our country schools? 
THE NEED OF CLOSER RELATIONS BETWEEN POMOLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 
Edward A. Bunyard, England. 
The time is now ripe I think for a serious consideration of this matter 
and I readily accede to your request for a few words at this time. 
The days are gone when each Society could meet and study the fruits 
of its own country and disregard all alien intruders. The increased facilities 
