Address of Welcome 
H. C. Petteway, Lakeland 
Ladies and Gentlemen : 
We will eliminate the address part of it 
but we do not want to eliminate the wel¬ 
come part. I want to assure you that you 
are welcome. Lakeland lies in the heart 
of the citrus belt and is heartily interested 
in the work which you are gathered here 
to discuss and which your society is devel¬ 
oping. Therefore, Lakeland is interested 
in those men who are giving their time 
to this wonderful industry. 
Lakeland is glad to have you meet here. 
First, she is glad to have you as individ¬ 
uals; and second, she is glad to have you 
become acquainted with her people and let 
them learn to know you, in order that we 
may all come in closer fellowship and se¬ 
cure better co-operation and better fruit 
in the work, of which Lakeland is a fac¬ 
tor. I wish to expressly welcome you to 
the city of Lakeland and I hope you will 
have a very pleasant time while with us. 
I assure you that if any of the citizens or 
any of the city officials can do anything 
to make your stay successful or more 
pleasant you have only to name it and" we 
will do our best to see that it is done. 
Again, in the name of Lakeland, I wel¬ 
come you to our city. 
Response 
Dr. J. H. Ross, Winter Haven 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
It is certainly very gratifying to come 
to so good a town as Lakeland and to be 
assured of the welcome that the Mayor 
has so gratifyingly expressed to us. 
Lakeland is the great city in Polk county 
and Polk county is the banner citrus coun¬ 
ty of Florida, and therefore it is quite fit¬ 
ting that this society should be welcomed 
to this city. This society may be called 
the pioneer influence which has had more 
to do with the establishing of the citrus 
industry in Florida and in its growth and 
expansion than any one influence which 
has been expressed in this State. This so¬ 
ciety is respectable enough to be welcomed 
to any city—respectable because of its 
agents, respectable because its purpose has 
