268 
AMERICAN POMOEOGICAI, SOCIETY 
ceedings and a very pertinent question arises as to whether our policy 
(possibly under our present plan of organization the only one we can adopt) 
is not outgrown, so far as it relates to the horticultural press and the other 
organizations engaged in this same general field of work; especially those 
foreign ones of corresponding rank. 
Another source of annoyance and uncertainty has been the lack of 
effective Vice-Presidential co-operation in many of the states. This feature 
of our organization is positively demoralizing to* this office and something 
radical must be done with this set of officers; else their duties, which I 
take it, are such as devolve upon a sectional chairman, must be given over 
to another force of workers which might be designated as state secretaries, 
directors, or other term, anything, in fact, to get the necessary work of the 
state or district performed with efficiency and dispatch. 
As one result of the past year’s work it is evident that it would he a 
decided advance in the service of the office if none but paid-up members 
were registered; and further, it is especially suggested that no person be 
elected to a position of active honor (by this is meant officer, committee- 
man or other representative) in the society unless he is a paid-up member 
of good standing or unless some other member assumes the responsibility 
of this account. 
A Larger Field of Activity. 
As suggestions looking to a larger sphere of activity permit the following 
items to be offered: 
The fruit-growing industry — this Nation's pomofcogical interests — o'! 
the United States is valued at approximately 275 millions of dollars an- 
nually. To this must be added that of Canada, which is also included in 
our sphere of activity. 
This great international business, is today without any adequate organi- 
zation to represent it in the councils of the nation in any one of several 
respects; such as commercial, political, financial, moral, social, economic, 
or scientific, with the exception of the more or less heterogenous local 
associations; and this society, which occupies a conspicuous place through 
the history of its past achievement, but which owing to lack of funds has 
been unable to keep pace with the recent rapidly broadening and increas- 
ing activities in this field of production. 
This seems to be an opportune time: The whole continent is in the 
throes of violent labor bringing forth a marvelous area of near-fruitful 
orchards, vineyards, and fruit gardens; an eager consuming public is 
deeply interested in the problems of more fruit, better fruit and cheaper 
fruit to the end of better living; the producers are intent upon finding 
a more direct route to the consumers; the whole nation is bent upon an 
eager quest for ways and means whereby the great problem of sustaining 
a higher and better type of citizenship may be solved; and when great 
measures are being advanced by the nation in behalf of a general rural up- 
lift. Such a time, it would appear, is a potent one for an effort to broaden 
the scope of this society’s activities; vastly increase its resources; and 
effect a more comprehensive organization to the end of assuming, — that 
