242 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, 



this we have herewith extended to you individually and collectively. 

 (Applause.) 



President Hobbs: Ladies and gentlemen, we will have a response to 

 these words of welcome by Prof. W. C. Latta, Superintendent of Farmers' 

 Institutes. 



Prof. W. C. Latta responded as follows: 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen— I lay no claim whatever to 

 being a platform speaker, and that, at once, will raise in your minds the 

 question why I am here to respond to this address of welcome. I may 

 say, briefly, that I thought it would give me an opportunity to explain 

 somewhat the conditions under which we meet and the scope or purpose 

 of this meeting. 



On behalf of the persons whose names appear on the program which 

 is to be rendered today and tomorrow here in your presence, on behalf 

 of the visiting horticulturists from other portions of the State, I thank 

 Mr. Stoll for these kindly words of greeting. I am sure that they are as 

 pleased as I am to come to this beautiful city of South Bend, noted for its 

 enterprise— indeed, for its public spirit, for its large and successful meet- 

 ings. South Bend was chosen for this meeting because it was believed 

 that here we would find the conditions favorable to a successful meeting, 

 and I am sure we shall not be disappointed. It is pleasing to note the 

 preparation that has already been made by, I suppose, people in the near 

 locality, in the way of fruit exhibit. It is quite an undertaking, with no 

 fruit ripe, you might say, to draw on, but I am sure that the friends who 

 are here visiting, as well as myself, appreciate what has been done in 

 that line. It is a splendid exhibit; it is a splendid showing. 



And now, just a word or two of explanation, and I shall have per- 

 formed the first imposed duty. The Horticultural Society was on the eve 

 of abandoning these summer meetings, which it has been holding regularly 

 for a good many years. The reason for that course was lack of funds. 

 Fortunately, the increase in the appropriation for farmers' institutes be- 

 came available with the Governor's proclamation that we should have 

 an increase for the current year at our disposal. It occurred to me that 

 perhaps we could not make better use of that fund than by holding, in 

 different parts of the State, district meetings, devoted to certain special 

 institutions in our State. Accordingly, four of these meetings were 

 planned, of which two have already been held; the first one, a district 

 dairy institute, at Plymouth; the second, in southern Indiana, at Orleans, 

 which closed last evening; the third meeting we have here today and 

 tomorrow; and the fourth, a meeting of the stockmen, especially those 

 engaged in producing butchers' stock, at Huntington, on the 27th and 28th 

 of this month. 



It is something of an experiment to undertake meetings of this kind, 

 in the heat of the summer. While the audiences have not been large, aver- 



