THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



VOL. 27. AUGUST, 1899. No. 8. 



PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL ADDRESS. 



J. C. HAWKINS, AUSTIN. 



(Southern Minnesota Horticultural Society.) 



Fellow Members of the Soathera Minnesota Horticultural 

 Society: 



Ladies and Gentlemen: — I am pleased to greet you at the close of 

 another year's labor and present, as your presiding officer, a few 

 thoughts bearing on the interests of our organization. 



Each season brings its crop or lack of a crop of flowers and fruit. 

 This we expect as a result of the dews and showers, the frost and 

 sun, and all the favoring courses of nature. Each year, also, at the 

 end of his term of service, it is expected that your president will af- 

 ford some sort of a crop of suggestions, denominated an address, in 

 return for the honor of standing and pleasure of standing at the 

 head of an honorable organization. 



It is taken quite as a matter of course that the yearly crop of flow- 

 ers and fruit will reflect the condition, favorable or unfavorable, of 

 the season. If the crop be poor quality only, we can sort out and 

 save the best, but if it be also very scanty in quantity it may be a 

 real misfortune. If the president's address is of poor quality, we 

 never complain of its shortness. The less in quantity, the better we 

 are pleased. 



For reference to the past and present conditions of our society, we 

 are fortunate in the fact that we have an efficient secretary from 

 whom we may expect items in detail, leaving the writer to general- 

 ize and submit a few suggestions, possibly worthy of attention and 

 effort. 



One great need of our country is more fruit. One of the best rec- 

 ommendations of a country is to say that it is fairly good in fruit 

 production, that fruit is grown both for home use and market. In 

 many sections orchards of greater or less extent have been planted, 



