460 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Our loved late president, W. W. Pendergast, who may well 

 be called the father of agriculture in Minnesota, did step by step 

 overcome every obstacle, and, "as he liked it," planted, first our 

 agricultural school and then gave to Minnesota a life full of 

 horticultural experiments, having, as he so tersely expressed it, 

 his watchword of progress, "Advance, push on to sublime 

 heights." 



Floriculture never had a more devoted, conscientious disciple 

 than that kindly friend in deeds as well as name, R. J. Menden- 

 hall, whose life amid the flowers was truly "as he liked it." Every 

 member of our society would gladly have dropped the honey- 

 suckle spray, symbolical of "generous devoted love" into his 

 grave, feeling he had by his patient master hand grandly won it. 

 Thus many tried and true horticulturists have striven "as they 

 liked it" in nature's garden, running the gauntlet under volleys 

 not of lead but of relentless blight, bitter frosts and rank dis- 

 ease, coming forth victorious. 



"With the golden fruitage of success 

 Dropping attheir feet in plenteousness." 



Of the today, the revered president, conscientious dean and 

 worthy co-workers of Minnesota's successful experimental farm 

 of widely-famed grounds and fruitful acres, are with heart and 

 hand delving into the unknown, each to his liking, chiseling out 

 steps upon which others shall tread; these in turn will take up 

 the tools and carve out their life work, and with them each of you 

 will be numbered, doing "as you like it" under the broadest .en- 

 vironment God can give you, nature's realm. And with heart and 

 mind trained, seeing, searching, unfolding into boundless expan- 

 sion, knowing that "ideals are like stars — you cannot reach 

 them, but, like the seafaring men on the desert of waters, choose 

 them as your guide and following them reach your destination." 

 And mayhap "on the hardest adamant some footprints of us are 

 stamped in." Even now the shadow of the imprint is creeping 

 near, as our efficient secretary of agriculture, James Wilson, has 

 just given forth the edict of success that has come and will come 

 to scientific agriculture, closing with the prophetic words, "The 

 farmer will not fail the nation if the nation does not fail the 

 farmer." 



In this atmosphere of scientific research the wizard Burbank 

 has most successfully won laurels by applying individually our 

 theme, "as you like it," -and the cactus, the rose, the sweet pea. 

 the daisy and hosts of other flowers, with the renowned Burbank 



