STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 15 



ricultural Society, but it has a mission, whicli is to malje men better and happier, 

 and this will only be accomplished when all the people of our great and growing- 

 state have an abundance of the choicest home grown fruits, every home its vegeta- 

 ble and liower garden and every waste and uutillable spot is covered with forest. It 

 has already reached a condition where its influence is being felt in every part of the 

 State. I am a warm friend of tlie State Agricultural Society, and those who have 

 known me for the past fifteen years can bear testimony that I have stood by it faith- 

 fully and helped to uphold it in its darkest hours, notwithstanding I have often felt 

 that in their annual fairs the fast norse has frequently been given more prominence 

 than 1 believed to be expedient or profitable. But as education is a better means of 

 promoting reforms and setting things in their right positions than ignorant and vio- 

 lent denunciation, so I would not rail out about their shortcomings, but would con- 

 tinue to exhibit with them such articles as will by their beauty and utility counter- 

 act the evil. There is probably no better means of promoting horticultural educa- 

 tion tuan the public exhibition of fruits, flowers, etc., where the best growers are 

 brought into sharp competition. The veriest dolt may get ideas upon such occa- 

 sions as will tend to make him a lover of horticulture, if not a skillful horticulturist; 

 and when he shall have been such, the race-course will become to him the least 

 attractive part of the fair. There is not an agricultural society in America that 

 publishes so generous a premium list for horticultural products as our Minnesota 

 State Society, or that pays the pi-emiums awarded more promptly and clieerfuUy. 

 And this condition of things has been brought about through the influence of our 

 intelligent fruit growers. Fifteen years ago the amount of premiums offered that 

 could be taken by Minnesotians was: $5 and $3 for the greatest variety of apples; $5 

 and $3 for best exhibits of fruits; $3 and $2 for best exhibits of pears; $5 and $3 for 

 green house plants, and a few dollars for hand bouquets and variety of cut flowers— 

 I think about $50 all told. 



At the last State Fair held in Rochester the pi-emiums offered aggregated $71(3 on 

 fruits and flowers and $331 on garden vegetables, which covers nearly one-fourth of 

 the entire amount offered in all other departments. All will admit that they have 

 done well by us and merit our good will. 



This is our flrst fall meeting for many years, "and the first fair we have ever at- 

 tempted to hold independent and alone. This meeting may appropriately be called 

 an anniversary meeting, and we will be justified in reviving the past, congratulating 

 ourselves upon our present prosperity and in indulging in fond hopes for the future. 

 Our society was organized in Rochester in 1866, under the name of the Minnesota 

 State Fruit Grower's A.ssociation. The first meeting was called at the office of Dr. 

 Cross, on the evening of October 4, and on the evening of the 5th a constitution 

 was adopted and officers elected. The whole number of names enrolled was twelve. 

 The proceedings of those meetings and the list of the original members have been 

 lost and therefore there yet remains a little uncertanity about who some of them 

 were, and steps ought to be taken to secure a correct roll if possible, to hand down 

 to posterity. The next annual meeting was held nn the afternoon of October 4, 

 1867, under the amphitheatre of the race-course. The attendance was small, partly 

 owing to a drizzling rain storm, and no business was transacted except the election 

 of officers, and an adjourned meeting was held in the evening at the office of Dr 

 Cross and continued to a late hour. At this meeting there was considerable enthu- 



