ANNUAL MEETING, I906. 9. 



ANNUAL MEETING, 1906, MINNESOTA STATE 

 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A. W. LATHAM, SECY. 



There must necessarily be some sameness in the reports of 

 our annual meetings as made year after year by the same writer, 

 but the meeting itself as it runs along from day to day, with a 

 great variety of topics and various incidents to break the even 

 tenor of its movement, with the opportunity for renewing ac- 

 quaintances, studying new and old varieties of fruit, etc., is very far 

 from being monotonous. In fact, these meetings, one after another, 

 grow upon the regular attendants as being more and more full of 

 life and newness of interest. 



The meeting which closed on the evening of Dec. 7th, at the twi- 

 light hour, with a larger attendance present tlian ever before at the 

 closing ceremonies of one of the annual gatherings of the society, 

 was more vital in interest well sustained to the end than any meet- 

 ing of the society preceding it. There were more new things to talk 

 about and new ways of looking at them, new problems to grasp and 

 study, than at any previous meeting. With the diversified pro- 

 gram, including a session devoted to nursery topics ; one for the 

 Woman's Auxiliary, covering mainly subjects touching horticul- 

 ture and the social life ; one for the State Forestry Association ; 

 one for the Plant Breeders' Auxiliary, a new association within 

 the ranks of the society which is destined to do a large and im- 

 portant work for us ; a calendar program reciting the various 

 steps connected with the culture of orchard and garden during 

 two of the summer months ; with the question hour, two lantern- 

 slide entertainments, cross-pollination illustrated with models and 

 a large variety of topics touching many other points of prac- 

 tical value to horticulture, there was little opportunity for monotony 

 or tiresomeness. 



The first session of the meeting opened promptly at 9 145 with 

 a rare musical selection by Mr. Trafiford N. Jayne, of Minneap- 

 olis, followed by the invocation by Rev. C. S. Harrison, and then 

 President Wedge's address, an inspiring production foreshadow- 

 ing the spirit and purpose of the meeting. The program of the 

 session proceeded on as arranged, without a slip or jar — and indeed 

 this may be said also of all the sessions following, there being, of all 

 the numbers on the program, only one article missing and but two 

 formal reports, an extraordinary degree of perfection for so long and 

 diversified a program. Each session was begun promptly on time 

 to the minute, and with only one exception every number in the pro- 



