20 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
there is no need of speaking on behalf 
of the citizens, for each and every one 
will speak to you for themselves while 
you are here. One of the merchants has 
•* 
already spoken as recounted by the speak¬ 
er just before, and he voices the feelings 
of the citizens, one and all. 
Then on behalf of the Trustees of the 
University, I desire to extend to you a 
welcome. Now, it is hardly necessary 
to speak in their behalf; a good many 
of them are members of your organiza¬ 
tion. For instance, there is H. B. Stev¬ 
ens. He is a member of the Board of 
Trustees of the University and, I think, 
an officer in your Society. Then there 
is Mr. Painter, your Secretary. You 
have come to the home of Mr. Painter. 
He is always at home here. There is 
hardly a house, certainly none among the 
older citizens of this place, where he is 
not welcome. I tried to get him to take 
dinner with me tomorrow, but I guess 
I am too late. It looks as though his 
slate is already filled. 
Some of you are strangers in the city 
of DeLand. Let me assure you that you 
are welcome. In olden times, when ene¬ 
mies were numerous, they had to mass 
the people in a limited area and then 
throw a wall around the occupied area 
and set a watch against the intruders and 
invaders. There would be one or two 
or more gates through which entrance 
into the town or city could be made, 
which could be closed and locked against 
their enemies. So when the people want¬ 
ed to show deference and confidence in a 
distinguished and loved guest, they would 
present to them the keys to the gates of 
the city. We, of course, can not do this 
now, except figuratively speaking, But 
in the same spirit we present to you the 
keys of the city, and I extend to you a 
welcome on the part of the citizens and 
of the University. The students of the 
University will speak for themselves to¬ 
rn 01 row evening, when you are to be 
their guests, and they are going to recite 
for you and sing for you and try to 
show you a good time generally. 
So, on behalf of the Trustees of the 
University, its faculty and its students, 
as well as the Mayor, the Town Council 
and the citizens of DeLand, I extend to 
you a very cordial welcome. 
Now, I am going to extend to you 
a welcome on the part of members of 
the Association who live opt over this 
county. All the growers throughout the 
county are part of us here at DeLand. 
This is the county seat, and they come 
here for business in various ways, and in 
their behalf I wish to extend to you a 
generous and cordial welcome. 
As I go about this beautiful State and 
visit the cities and towns in which you 
reside, I cannot help but marvel at the 
growing possibilities of Florida. This 
whole country is but comparatively re¬ 
cently discovered, and see what has been 
done in this hemisphere in the last four 
hundred years. And Florida has belong¬ 
ed to the United States only since 1819; 
not a full century. We have not had 
possession of it a hundred years, and see 
what it has become. People believed at 
one time it did not belong to anything 
but alligators and razor-back hogs, but 
now the finest people all over these United 
States come here to make their homes. 
I am impressed with the variety of the 
