;^4 MISSOURI STATl. IK )K'I1( UI.TUKAL SOCIETY. 



ing and i\a^s, and the ladies and gentlemen of the committee did them- 

 selves and the society honor in the fine display of flowers and the beauty 

 and harmony of the arrangement of the room. These alone could but 

 tell the welcome visitor that our people was of a refined and intelligent 

 class — that the town, like the people, made it a delightful place to hold 

 the Semi- Annual Meeting of the Missouri Horticultural Society. 



" Tuesday was a beautiful day and our guests began to arrive from 

 the afternoon trains and were taken charge of by the reception commit- 

 tee. Messrs. Hoblitzell, Montgomery and O'Fallon, who readily assigned 

 the visitors to their quarters. The remainder of the afternoon was pass- 

 ed in seeing the sights, getting acquainted and telling one another all 

 they knew, and what they had seen while passing through the western 

 portion of the Platte Purchase. 



"Tuesday evening our cornet band opened the exercise by discours- 

 ing several excellent selections on the campus, which soon brought our 

 people to the court house and by 8 o'clock the house was filled to over- 

 flowing with as proud a set of Oregonians as ever assembled. The 

 room was brilliantly lighted and the decorations only added beauty and 

 interest to the occasion. 



" The fifteen windows were draped with cream cheese cloth, looped 

 with sprigs of evergreen. From the four center columns were suspended 

 ropes of evergreens and flowers with paper tapestry connecting with the 

 large center chandeliers, which were trimmed with the same. The alcove 

 was arched and draped with cheese cloth lamberquins with a band of 

 evergreen and flowers for the border. Above the arch of the alcove 

 was a field of blue on which in letters of white were the words, ' Welcome 

 Horticulturalists.' On each side of the speaker's stand were iron flower 

 stands, well laden with blooming plants, among which was a blooming 

 cactus from Mrs. Frederick's collection — a playing spray furnishing the 

 flowers with moisture. Pictures of fruit, scenery' and stock were hung 

 upon the beautiful white walls. On the. east side wall was the following 

 motto in red, especially dedicated to Dr. Goslin, ' Raise Strawberries 



with a o .' Just below this was a large bowl in which was a spoon 



marked 'A Goslin ' Opposite to this on the Vv'est side wall was the fol- 

 lowing : ' Plant Taters in the Dark of the Moon.' On the outside of the 

 court house, mid-way over the walk between the gate and the north 

 entrance, was suspended a large bunting flag ; from the north gate over 

 the street was suspended the word, ' Welcome' in large two foot bronze 

 letters. Another large thirty foot flag was suspended across the street 

 from the Odd Fellows building. 



