2 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



deep, underlying philosophy of horticulture, as well as the practice. 

 The subject of Mr. Hansen's graduating thesis was "The Crossing 

 and Hybridizing of our Native Fruits," and as a student he worked 

 considerably in the horticultural department. 



The year after graduation was spent in the nurseries of Hon. 

 Silas Wilson, at Atlantic, Iowa, and the succeeding three years in 

 the nurseries of Hon. C. L. Watrous, at Des Moines, Iowa. In 1891 

 he was called from this position to that of Assistant Professor of 

 Horticulture at Ames, the first college assistant Professor Budd ever 

 had. Much work was done under Professor Budd's direction in 

 various experimental lines. 



In 1894 four months were devoted by Prof. Hansen to a study 

 of horticulture in eight countries of Europe, including England, 

 Germany, France, Russia, Denmark, Austria, Holland and Belgium. 



His position with Prof. Budd was given up in the fall of 1895 

 to accept the position of professor of horticulture at the South 

 Dakota agricultural college and experiment station, which position 

 he has held ever since. 



In June, 1897, Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture. 

 sent Prof. Hansen on a ten months' tour of exploration in Russia, 

 Transcaucasia, Turkestan, western China and Siberia. Over five 

 carloads of seeds and plants were secured, including twelve tons of 

 the Russian form of Bromus inermis, or Brome grass, and a hardy 

 form of alfalfa from Turkestan, and now known as Turkestan al- 

 falfa. In spite of initial difficulties this alfalfa is becoming firmly 

 established, although genuine seed is still very scarce. Getting on 

 the trail of this plant, this young explorer, confident that the Viking 

 blood in his veins would carry him through, followed the trail for 

 one thousand three hundred miles in a wagon and seven hundred 

 in a sleigh, until the trail was lost in the snowdrifts of southern 

 Siberia, at the end of the season, near Kopal. At one time his 

 equipment consisted of an interpreter, eight horses, three drivers 

 and two sleighs. After securing seed of this plant from eight dif- 

 ferent sources. Prof. Hansen chose to strike northward 700 miles 

 to the Siberian railway at Omsk, instead of going back 1,300 miles 

 in a wagon to the Transcaspian railway. Some very serious con- 

 flicts with Siberian blizzards ensued, and this is a part of the sub- 

 ject he does not like to refer to. In another caravan two team- 

 sters were frozen to death. 



Ever since his two Russian trips. Prof. Hansen has insisted that 

 a fair trial should be made in the prairie northwest of the pure Si- 

 berian crab, Pvrus baccata, as a stock for apples, that being the way 



