FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
27 
cepted conditions as they were, came 
together each season in convention of 
this society, talked matters over, com¬ 
pared notes, earnestly discussed plans 
for the rebuilding of our horticulture 
and its protection from injury by cold; 
told each other of their individual fail¬ 
ures and successes and went home with 
their faith refreshed and their courage 
renewed to continue the fight. At the 
end of seven years of famine and heroic 
struggle, the horticultural interests of 
the state were on a safer basis than 
ever before, a few had gotten the fruit 
to growing again and to markets that 
were hungry for it and willing to pay 
prices that, with returns from truck 
grown among the trees, once more put 
the faithful on their feet and proved 
their faith well founded. Florida was 
soon restored to her proper place at the 
head of the citrus growing world and 
as the winter garden of the United 
States. This is but one of the many 
instances in which this society has done 
grand work for Florida, and yet, up 
to this date, she apparently has never, 
through her legislative body, become 
fully assured of her existence. 
Other states make annual appropria¬ 
tions and many of them very liberal 
ones, to foster the work of their hor¬ 
ticultural societies and deem it money 
well spent. The finances of this socie¬ 
ty have ever been run on lines of gen¬ 
erous helpfulness to its members, never 
on those of prudence. It has given 
more than it could afford each year, 
rather than curtail its usefulness To 
those who needed its help, and those 
who loved her best and were able to do 
so, have each season met the deficit. 
This may have made the tie closer, but 
I, for one, am ashamed of this neglect 
on the part of my adopted state and I 
always shrink from asking for contri¬ 
bution from our members, as I know 
that some will respond who can ill 
afford to do so; yet I see no way of 
meeting the increasing expenses in the 
future, otherwise than as in the past, 
unless the state does give help, or some 
of the loyal ones continue to help, after 
they are gone from our midst, by en¬ 
dowing the society with funds, as did 
Marshall P. Wilder endow the Amer¬ 
ican Pomological Society, when death 
took him; its first and only president 
up to that date. His legacy has done 
much to increase the usefulness of that 
body. 
I have hardly yet reached the “three 
score and ten” mark, nor are any of 
us fully assured that we ever will. 
I believe that Mr. Taber, Mr. Gaits- 
kill, Mr. Hoyt and myself are the last 
of the “old guard,” and I think I speak 
for them as well as myself when I say 
that it would add to our peace of mind 
before we step off the stage to know 
that the future of this society was as¬ 
sured through an ample income that 
would allow of the expansion of its 
work and usefulness.. I leave the 
thought for your consideration. 
From what has been said, I believe 
it has been clearly shown that, in my 
estimation, any town that secures the 
presence of this society in annual con¬ 
vention must show good credentials 
and is highly honored by a winning 
vote. I am glad to note that the most 
