The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-04-19
Vol. Xxx, No. l6, Whole No. 748.
THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST SESSIONS OF
THE SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING HELD AT
PENSACOLA APRIL u, ,13 AND IA, 1898.

THE SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING HELD AT
PENSACOLA APRIL Il, ,13 AND IA, 1893.
Owing to the late arrival of trains the
programme for Tuesday night was post
poned until the following morning. The
attendance was not so large as at some
previous meetings, but those members
present came prepared with valuable pa
pers upon subjects of interest to the fruit
growers and the reading of these papers
provoked the usual amount of discus
sion, from which the assembled fruit
growers derived no small amount Of
valuable information.
FIRST SESSION.
Wednesday morning the meeting was
called to order by President Adams, who
introduced Mr.. William Fisher, vice-pres-
ident of the Pensacola Board of Com
merce. Mr.. Fisher said:
ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
Gentlemen 0fthe State Horticultural Society:
1 am here before J ou this morning somewhat
embarrassed from the fact that am substi-
tute. but your worthy president complimented
that name by saying that man wasn't ordi-
nary a substitute unless he could say some
thing good. l know that remark OF the presi-
dent will be amiss on this occasion. L am not
capable OF delivering an GRAFTON. Had Mr.
Ross president of the chamber of commerce,
been here to welcome you, you would have had
the pleasure of listening to a well prepared ad-
dress that would be of interest and profit to you
all. The mayor is called out at this hour every
morning to his official duties presiding over the
police court, and SO l am deputized to repre-
sent him on this OCCASION and to extend to you
a,hearty welcome on behalf of our chamber of
commerce and our municipality.
AS | understand the object of the HOrticult
ural Society it is to devise such methods and
such means as will produce the best possible
suits out of the soil, whether these results be of
utility, or whether it be those of beauty. In my
Judgment there can be no higher calling in this
world than that of yourselves, except that of the
ministry of the gospel, because you are only car
rying out the command of the Almighty God as
YOU see it recorded in the first chapter of Gene
sis. He made the earth He made the trees, He
made the grass, and He made the herds, and He
gave the command that man should multiply
them for his own good and for his own susten-
ance. Although 1 have never had any expert
ever made was picking cotton on friends
farm near the city of Tallahassee, and it has
been the fond ambition of my life to retire in my
old age to farm and spend the balance of my
life among the h"" uties of nature with which
God has so bes is in the State of Florida.
The science culture and farming is that
which adds to ealth of a nation. In fact
the wealth and osperity of a nation are de-
pendent upon IL was the smaller farms of
France that bled that country to re-
cover from til fleets of the wars with Ger
manv. And til ted States has within the
last few years very wisely followed the example
set her by France in establishing Department
of Agriculture, and making the head OF that de
paBtment one of her cabinet officers. There is
nothing that we should aid, encourage and fos
rer as that which adds to the Ewealth of every
country. 1t was due to the fertile fields OF this
county that you enabled last year to