176 Wisconsin State Hoeticultukal Society. 



horticulture may not be as extensive and important as agricult- 

 ure, but it embraced many and various interests and gave profit- 

 able employment to very many men, and it furnishes a field for 

 the display and the gratification of a great variety of tastes. 



In agriculture some have a special taste for horses of the 

 different breeds, or for neat cattle, Jerseys, Short-horns, etc., 

 sheep, hogs, grain or hoed crops. In horticulture some have a 

 taste for fruit, orchards of apples, plantations of small fruits, or 

 for well kept lawns, set with evergreens and ornamented shrubs 

 and beds of flowers, for beautiful shade and rare ornamental 

 shade trees; for conservatories, and flowers and foliage plants to 

 adorn the home. All varieties of tastes here found gratification, 

 and horticulture is in many ways a noble, a pleasing and a profit- 

 able employment. 



He did not fully agree with President Srtiith in his statement 

 that the market value of strawberries was greater twenty-five 

 years ago than it is now. It is doubtless true that a thousand 

 quarts are raised now to one then, but they are not really more 

 within the reach of everyone now, than they were then. Those 

 who have any knowledge of the gardens and markets then must 

 admit that strawberries will bring more per quart in the market 

 of to-day than twenty-five and thirty years ago. When he first 

 commenced gardening near Cleveland, Ohio, about forty years 

 ago, the first berries of the season would bring a York shilling, 

 twelve and a half cents, a quart, but in five or six days the price 

 would drop to six cents. Strawberries would be peddled about 

 the streets of the little village of Cleveland as it was then, for 

 sixpence a quart, and often the yjeople would be invited to go 

 to the beds and pick for themselves. ]^ow in the same market, 

 a first class berrj- often sells as high as thirty cents a quart, and 

 the price seldom, if ever, goes down to six cents. The quantity 

 raised has been greatly increased, but for some cause or other 

 the price and demand have also increased. If we have a first 

 class article, whether it is berries, or other garden ©r farm prod- 

 ucts, we cannot raise too much, but can always sell it at good 

 prices. The world is wide and there are many millions to con- 



