ANNUAL MEETING, 1898. 499 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



In July, 1897, the Association of American Agricultural Colleges 

 and Experiment Stations held its eleventh annual meeting in Minne- 

 apolis. Their place of meeting was at the university, and they were 

 in session there during three days. The fourth day was spent at the 

 agricultural college and experiment station examining our plans, 

 learning our methods of teaching and inspecting our experiments 

 made at the station. When we invited these 148 representatives 

 from different states, who were engaged in this same work, we an- 

 ticipated we would take them somewhat by surprise. While they 

 had heard much of our plans and methods of work in our conven- 

 tion and at previous ones, I was satisfied that at all those meetings 

 they had taken a great many of our statements with a good deal of 

 allowance. They inspected our work, found out all they could of 

 our methods of teaching, asked questions upon various subjects we 

 are teaching and our plan of teaching and, more particularly, how 

 we secured all the students in attendance. That was a great sur- 

 prise. As you know, a great many universities are carrying on 

 agricultural education upon a similar plan, and they are doing good 

 work, but there are few universities that are doing anything but 

 elementary work — and I may say there is no other institution in the 

 United States that is doing the same work we are doing. Many 

 thought this elementary work was all that we were doing and that 

 we were using the fund that was appropriated for that purpose. 

 When they found out what we were doing in three years of elemen- 

 tary work and four years of university work,then they were surprised. 

 They were very much surprised, indeed, expecting Minnesota was 

 about to take the lead in that line of education, and it gave them 

 something to talk about. 



It was my pleasure to attend the twelfth annual convention in 

 Washington, and I could understand what had surprised them. The 

 greeting I received was very complimentary, and from the questions 

 they asked I knew they were well pleased with what we were doing, 

 and I believe I have a just right (o feel proud. 



I may say, Mr. President, that the fact of my attendance on that 

 convention is perhaps the reason why I have not been in attendance 

 at the meetings of the horticultural society here. I found myself 

 buried in work on my return, and I have had to put in twelve full 

 hours daily trying to catch up. I have learned something of your 

 meetings, however, and it is my loss that I have not been able to be 

 present. I must congratulate you, members of the Horticultural 

 Society of Minnesota, for what you are doing, and thank you for the 

 reception you have given the School of Agriculture. It is the proper 

 thing to do, and for that reason I want to congratulate you. It is 

 the means of making your society stronger than it is. It is a pleas- 

 ure to note your constant increase, your membership numbering 

 some 800, making it the strongest organization of its kind in the 

 country. You have invited the students of the college of agriculture 

 to come here this evening and occupy the entire evening session, 

 and I want to say that it ia a great pleasure and compliment to them, 



