200 SECRETARY S CORXER. 



children are still living. No woman in the Northwest has more impressed 

 her life upon this growing community than Mrs. Van Cleve, and notwith- 

 standing her advanced age she will be greatly missed. 



Passage of the Fruit Breeding Farm Legislation. — Our members arc 

 all familiar with the efiforts that have been made to secure from the present 

 state legislature the passage of a bill providing for the purchase of a tract of 

 land suitable for fruit breeding purposes and the permanent maintenance of 

 it, reference having been made to this matter from time to time in the Secre- 

 tary's Corner and upon other pages of our monthly. While the outcome of 

 these efforts was to those who were more immediately connected with the 

 movement not for a moment in doubt, yet it is a relief to have the matter 

 finally settled, as it was by the passage on Saturday, the 20th of April, by 

 the house, of the bill for the purchase and maintenance of this farm. The 

 state senate passed this bill containing the appropriations '^nme weeks before. 

 When it came to the house it was referred to the committee on appropri- 

 ations and after a time was reported out from this committee without the 

 necessary appropriations. At the time of its passage in the house however, 

 the appropriations of $16,000 for the purchase of the farm and $2,000 annual- 

 ly for maintenance were inserted in the bill without opposition, which was a 

 special compliment to the society, as we are informed since that other bills 

 that required appropriations to make them effective have not been able to 

 secure these in this w^ay, but only through the omnibus appropriation bill. 

 When the "fruit breeding farm" bill was put upon final passage in the house 

 only one member voted againct it. A little conference with this member a 

 short time afterwards resulted in his asking the house to permit him to 

 change his vote to the affirmative — so that our record stands as heretofore: 

 that all the legislation asked of the state legislature by the horticultural' 

 society for a long period of years now has been granted without a dissenting 

 vote. This bill had passed the senate previously by a unanimous vote also. 



It was universally recognized in the legislature as a very meritorious 

 measure, and its active supporters among the members were counted by the 

 scores. In securing the passage of this bill credit is due to hundreds of our 

 members who took pains to communicate with the members of the legisla- 

 ture from their districts, so that to our knowledge upwards of a thousand 

 letters were sent to tbe legislature bearing on this subject. Where so many 

 were deeply interested and did special work to help along, it has not been 

 easy to discriminate, but if any one were to be spoken of especially as work- 

 ing in its behalf it should be the president of our society, Prof. S. B. Green, 

 who was in touch with the movement at all points from its inception. The 

 writer was in the house with him at the time of the final passage of the bill. 



We anticipate much practical good from this measure and a largely in- 

 creased interest on the part of our membership in plant breeding, as well as 

 their material assistance in helping forward the work. The law pertaining 

 as passed, will be found on page sixty-three of the February, 1907, issue of 

 our monthly. As finally enacted the bill is exactly as printed on that and 

 the succeeding page. 



