TWO MIXUTE TALKS. 467 



how extensively the niA'celia had entered that tree — six or eight 

 feet, and some of the roots were as large through as a pencil. 

 I never like to see a tree dying. I love a tree, and by putting a 

 little paint over these places where a limb is cut or broken off, 

 the danger of destruction can be avoided. 



The President : Next I am going to call on Prof. Blair, from 

 Illinois, who gave us such a nice talk this morning. 



Prof. J. C. Blair (111.) : It has been my good fortune to at- 

 tend horticultural meetings all over the United States, north, 

 south, east and west, and I want to tell you in all candor I have 

 never visited a horticultural society whose meetings and whose 

 associations I have enjoyed more than I have the visit to these 

 people. I was brought up in horticultural work in the province 

 of Nova Scotia, and then I took up the work of horticulture 

 in New York, and later have been interested in society work 

 elsewhere, and I believe I am qualified to make this statement, 

 that you people here are getting right down to business in the 

 horticultural field in a better and more comprehensive way than 

 any similar organization I know of. What encourages me more 

 than anything else is the fact that, although you have a long 

 program, you have no chaff in it. Every paper and address to 

 which I have listened has been full of meat. You have a 

 corps of officers and workers that cannot be duplicated in any 

 organization in the United States. You have as good a lot of 

 members as I have ever come face to face with in any organ- 

 ization. This is not idle talk, because I am not given to that sort 

 of thing, but I honestly believe the work you are doing cannot 

 be approached anywhere else. I wish you success and God- 

 speed. (Applause.) 



The President : I am sure we are all very glad to have 

 had the privilege of having Prof. Blair with us at this meet- 

 ing, and I wish to thank him for his kind words of apprecia- 

 tion. We have with us another visitor, from a sister state, from 

 whom we want to hear a few words, and I am going to call on 

 Prof. Emerson, of Nebraska. 



Prof. R. A. Emerson (Neb.) : I supposed when I came here 

 I was glad to be here because I was here once before, but I am 

 better pleased now than ever. Just before coming up here I 

 was talking with a man, a member of our society, and when he 

 learned I was coming up here he said, "I wish you would find 

 out how they get up such an interest in their society." He had 

 heard reports of your society. If I were to ask any of the fruit 

 growers in any of the adjoining states they would tell me the 

 Minnesota Horticultural Society -is the best society in all of 

 the states. However, I am going to try to tell the man how it 

 is done. It seems to me you build up interest here because you 

 have a lot of men and women Avho are earnest, and you have 



