Decern l)er 14, 1907 



horticulture: 



777 



WILLIAIVI HACEMANN & CO. 



... Wholesale Importers of ... 



55 Dey Street, 



NEW YORK 



child of St. Paul. Another interesting 

 jjaper, "Shrubs and Trees for Lawns 

 and Parks," was read by W. H. Guil- 

 ford, delegate from the Iowa Horticul- 

 tural Society. Messrs. Le Roy Cady 

 and A. R. Kohler of the State Exper- 

 iment Station, gave practical demon- 

 strations in cross-fertilization, graft- 

 ing, budding, etc. 



In connection with the Horticul- 

 tural Society, the Woman's Auxiliary, 

 with Miss Emma White, president, 

 in the chair, met on December 4 and 

 had various important discussions per- 

 taining mostly to improvement work. 



In the afternoon of December 5 the 

 Minnesota State Forestry Association 

 (affiliated with the horticulturists) 

 met with S. M. Owen, president, in the 

 chair. Several papers showing the 

 importance of reforestation, etc., were 

 read. 



The morning of December 6 was 

 given over to the Plant Breeders' Aux- 

 iliary, T. M. Underwood, president, in 

 the chair. 



A. J. Phillips and S. D. Richardson 

 spoke in memory of the members who 

 have died during the "past year. 



The annual report of the seedling 

 committee was read by T. M. Under- 

 wood, Lake City. The opening ad- 

 dress of the Minnesota Rose Society 

 was given by the president, Mrs. H. B. 

 Tillotson. Mr. A. W. Latham, secre- 

 tary of the State Horticultural Socie- 

 ty "for the last 10 years, gave a very 

 interesting report. 



Treasurer George W. Strand read 

 the financial report, showing the so- 

 ciety to be in a flourishing condition. 

 The' reports of the vice-presidents of 

 the various congressional districts 

 gave some ideas of what should be 

 done to further the interests of the 

 society. 



All the officers, with the exception 

 of the nine vice-presidents, were re- 

 elected. 



A resolution was passed inviting the 

 National Peony Society to meet with 

 the Horticultural Society in a two 

 rtavs' session in 1909. 



C. N. RUEDLI.XGER. 



This is without doubt the best 

 society In the United States, if not in 

 the world. The attendance was the 

 largest known, notwithstanding the 

 financial flurry. 



We mention some reasons why the 

 society has reached such a high de-jree 

 of efficiency. 



1st. It had unusual difficulties to 



overcome which tested their courage 

 and persistence. The first orchards 

 were of Eastern fruits and they yfare 

 wiped out of existence. After infinite 

 pains, hardier fruits like the Duchess 

 and Wealthy were Introduced. A ter- 

 rible winter knocked out the founda- 

 tion, for the stocks were not hardy. 

 Then old Boreas with frozen mercury 

 in one hand and his terrible scourge 

 of the north wind in the other, told 

 them in plain language never to invade 

 his domains again. Then the blood (if 

 heroes tingled in their veins. They 

 took up the challenge. They had 

 charged by rushes before, but now 

 with siege-like patience slowly and 

 surely they built up the hardy iron- 

 clad — hardy from lowest root to high- 

 est branch, they originated a new 

 horticulture, creating a new race. As 

 the result, the apple crop this un- 

 favorable year was simply enormous, 

 and they had on exhibition probably a 

 finer collection than any state in the 

 ruion. 



2nd. Another cause of theii surr.» br 

 is their intelligent and heroic leader- 

 ship, backed by over 2,000 loyal mem- 

 bers — all thrilled with enthusiasm and 

 assured of victory; probably a more 

 determined and devoted band never, 

 lived. Many of the early heroes, with 

 Peter Gideon have passed away, but 

 the insiJiration of their lives yet re- 

 mains. Others took up their work as 

 soldiers grasped the flag from a fallen 

 comrade and rushed to the front. 



We mention some of the present 

 leaders: 



The President, S. B. Green, is Pro- 

 fessor of Horticulture in the State 

 I'niversity, a man of large experience 

 and acknowledged authority in plant- 

 ing, all over the northwest. He is an 

 author whose instructions are received 

 without questioning. In manner he is 

 Ijrompt, genial and forceful and is in 

 great demand as a speaker in other 

 States. He has a fine voice and clear- 

 cut expression, having the ability to 

 tell what he knows in a convincing 

 manner. In Nebraska where he ad- 

 dressed the United Societies, he had 

 about a thousand hearers who went 

 away delighted as from an intellectual 

 feast. His promptness and enthusiasm 

 thrilled the whole assemblage, keeping 

 them in the best of humor, and at the 

 highest working tension. 



The Secretary, A. W. Latham, is 

 without a peer. He is a practical 

 horticulturist — an educated man, and 

 one of the best organizers we ever 



knew. He took hold of the society in 

 its half-formed state and brought or- 

 der out of discord, and in some way in- 

 fused confidence, enthusiasm and hope 

 among the members, so he has the 

 largest society in the United States, if 

 not in all the earth. He is always at 

 it, keeping his office well-stored witu 

 books and periodicals open all the year 

 around, and the influence of the 

 society reaches out beyond the State 

 and is the center of influence through 

 all the great Northwest. 



Prof. N. E. Hansen, of South Dakota, 

 the Wizard of the North, is a member 

 and is always here. He is one nl the 

 busiest men on the list, pulled this 

 way and that by one and another, v.'ho 

 are anxious to draw all the informa- 

 tion possible out of him. He has gone 

 into the very holy of holies of good 

 old Mother Nature, and is helping her 

 to work miracles. By careful selec- 

 tion and crossing, he has produced 

 wonderful results. He is doing for 

 the bleak Northwest, what Burbank 

 is for the Pacific Coast. We have 

 seen some of his new creations and 

 they are marvels. By crossing prunus 

 Pisardi with the improved Besseyi, he 

 has secured the finest ornamental 

 shrub which will endure the cold of 

 forty below. He is breeding plums, 

 strawberries and raspberries which 

 need no covering out on the bleak 

 prairies of the Dakotas. He displayed 

 a giant growing tree, his hybrid of 

 wild plum and Chinese apricot; and 

 told of his successful search for a 

 hardy alfalfa in Siberia in a trip 

 around the world last year for the U. 

 S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



C. G. Patton, of Charles City, Iowa, 

 is the King of promology. For forty 

 years he has been engaged in develop- 

 ing hardy apples for the Northwest. 

 He had on exhibition fifty-five varie- 

 ties—seedlings evolved by the most 

 patient and persistent efforts. Thirty- 

 five years ago he produced "Patton's 

 Greening," a cross between the R. I. 

 Greening and the Duchess, giving the 

 excellence of one and the hardiness 

 of the other. This is one of the most 

 prolific of the race and has or will 

 add millions to the wealth of the 

 Northwest. The pity of it all is that 

 his efforts receive but little compen- 

 sation. He seems to be going the 

 same way good old Ephraim Bull 

 went, who died in the Old Man's 

 Home, a carefully disguised name for 

 the poor-house. Mr. Patton has put 

 his very life in the work, and is now 



