40 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



who is engaged in the ice business here, would have oflRciated in this 

 position in person, but explained to me that he wanted the meeting to 

 be a success in every way and therefore wanted to avoid all suggestions 

 of a frost. I think that was carrying his business ideas too far. 



When I was asked to speak to you this afternoon, I was told that I 

 would be put down for the opening address. As I knew very little about 

 the subject of horticulture and its allied branches, I began to post up. 

 T subscribed for a farm journal and I have been reading it carefully for 

 the past few weeks. I have been perusing all the seed catalogues I could 

 find at home so as to read up on floriculture. I tried to locate my her- 

 barium that somebody borrowed of me when I was under Doctor Bessey 

 at the University, but I could not find it. I got all the facts that were 

 compiled in the newspapers containing an account of the Pinchot- 

 Ballinger controversy so as to learn all about the subject of forestry. 

 Altoeether. I selected what I considered a fund of valuable information. 

 i had arranged it in elegant and interesting order, when one day I met 

 Mr. McCandlass on the street. I asked him how long he expected me 

 to talk in this opening address. He said: "Oh, a couple of minutes — 

 Three minutes. Just extend a welcome, giving them the keys of the 

 ( ity, and then sit down." You can imagine how I felt after having 

 worked so hard to prenare myself for this occasion. I feel one consola- 

 Mon and that is that this society will miss more than I will. 



However, you are here more for work than recreation. I am sorry 

 that we have so few thines in Wymore in the way of public institutions 

 to show you. If you had met with us a few years ago, we might have 

 taken you south of here and shown you one of the largest peach orchards 

 ♦here was then in the state, and, possibly, in the West. But that orchard 

 has nov/ gone to decay and back to the farm. We have in Wymore, in 

 t-mbryotic state at present, a park system of which we feel rather proud. 

 The origin of the system is due entirely to the interest and enthusiasm 

 of our fellov-townsman, Mr. McCandlass. We believe that the day is 

 not very far distant when our arrangement of parks will be a credit 

 to his foresight, to the city of Wymore and southeastern Nebraska. The 

 work of this society, in my judgment, cannot be overestimated in the 

 West and particularly in the state of Nebraska, which, up to the present 

 time, has been purely an agricultural state in the sense that work has 

 been placed unon the soil for the purpose of gaining financial returns. 

 But in the future more thought and attention will have to be given to 

 floriculture as well as horticulture. In order to make the state uni- 

 !orm we should have flowers and trees; and when that time comes, 

 such men as Morton, the father of Arbor Day, and Pollard, the man of 

 orchards, will be given due credit for the work they have done. If my 

 time was not limited, T would now be giving my speech proper, but as 

 r have been cut off — 



The President: Go ahead, go ahead. 



I will conclude by again extending to you a sincere welcome, with 

 the hope that yoii have a profitable and pleasant meeting. If your ses- 



