2 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



cordial welcome to our hearts, homes and strawberry 

 patches. The great point of attraction for which we have 

 invited you here is to view the wonderful success of Mr. 

 Loudon's seedling strawberries, particularly the Jessie. He 

 has growing on his grounds from ICO to 150 of these seed- 

 ling strawberries. We are to go over there this afternoon 

 and we expect to have a good time. We have with us dele- 

 gates from all over the state. Mr. Adams, though not here, 

 has done his part towards booming this convention in 

 many parts of the state. Every member of the Horticul- 

 tural Society has been notified of the meeting and has had 

 a programme and premium list sent to him. Because of 

 the early hour of opening we have but a few members pres- 

 ent. We expect to increase the membership of the 

 state society about thirty or perhaps forty. There is one 

 thing very unfortunate in connection with this exhibition 

 of fruits. We have experienced the most extensive 

 droughts ever known in the growing of strawberries. We 

 have had only three or four showers during the season. On 

 account of the drought the exhibition is very meager to 

 to what it would have been in other seasons. You must 

 make due allowance for the bad season. We had hoped for 

 fruit from the northern part of the state. The best berries 

 are now gone from many of our grounds. Still, in the 

 name of Janesville and of our Horticultural Society, I bid 

 you welcome. I hope this meeting will be fraught with 

 interest and that the discusions and the knowledge dis- 

 seminated will do us much good, as, also, the volumes we 

 expect to give to every new member. We expect to give 

 the past two years' Aolumes and the present volume, which 

 has just been sent by Mr. Adams for distribution. We 

 never had the report so early before but once. I intended 

 to just get up here and point out that word " Welcome " 

 without saying a word and it would have been the most 

 eloquent speech I ever made. 



President Smith — Ladies and Gentlemen: Upon our 

 programme the next thing after the address of welcome is 

 the response by the president. If Mr. Adams had been here 

 I should have insisted upon his taking my place at that, as 



