PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL, ADDRESS. 15 



living shelter belts, and they should be instructed in the best 

 method of caria:^ for thetn intelligeatly. They should be made to 

 understand the value of forests to the country at large and to keep 

 alive the sentiment that is striving so hard to arrest their devastation 

 by the woodman's ax and the relentless fire. We, as a society, 

 should encourage the study and discussion of economic forestry. 

 A subject -f such widespread interest, and one that affects the well- 

 being of our state, should form a feature in public school work, in 

 cities as well as in the country. 



One thing of great importance to our state and to our interests as 

 a society, is to secure the introduction of a 6rst-clas3 late-keeping 

 variety of apple; and our society could not do a better thing than to 

 offer a premium of a $1000 for an apple as good as the Wealthy in 

 size, quality and appearKince, that will keep as well as the Malinda 

 and is as hardy and prolifiic as the Duchess. 



If, as a society, we would continue to be useful, we must be alert 

 to develop and promote those features of our work that the times 

 and conditions indicate are most needed. We must thoroughly 

 cultivate those principles of unselfish devotion to our beloved 

 calling that will prompt us to work in harmony for the advance- 

 ment of horticulture in this great northwest. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD. 



WYMAN ELLIOT, CHAIRMAN. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: — Our executive board has 

 had a verj' harmonious and pleasant year the past year. We have 

 managed our work in such a way that it was necessary to hold only 

 fo-r committee meetings. It has been done partly by correspond- 

 ence, thus saving to the society the expense of getting the committee 

 together from different portions of the state. We have endeavored 

 to take up the work in the line of horticulture and push it through 

 in the way we thought was best for the interests of our society and 

 the people of our state. We have had charge of the exhibitions of 

 fruit that have been made by the society. Our summer exhibition 

 was a magnificent effort. We had the finest display of small fruit 

 that was ever made in the state. You are all familiar with what was 

 done by our society at our state fair. Last jear we had 2,700 plates 

 of all kinds of fruit, and this 5'ear we had 5,400 plates. If we go on 

 in this ratio we shall have to have a larger building for this purpose. 

 We commenced in the early years, when we first made these 

 exhibitions, with one little section in one corner of the building, and 

 we had that very sparsely filled, and we have been increasing from 

 year to year until we now occupy the whole building. We look 

 forward to the coming year with great hopes. I think the people of 

 our state can appreciate the efforts this society has made in the 

 direction of horticulture. 



I do not wish to take the time allotted to other topics that are to be 

 presented here, but I could go on and tell you of many other things 



