234 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



that they are the schoolmasters who are expected to enthuse and 

 educate the people of our state along these lines. Judging the fu- 

 ture by what has been accomplished, we confidently expect great 

 results. Under the fostering care of these societies our state may 

 earn the title of "The land of the best red apples," and should con- 

 tain the best homes, the best decorated grounds and the best cit- 

 izenship of any state in this glorious union. 



Mr. President: It has always seemed to me a mark of very 

 poor judgment for a man to spend twice as much as it would take 

 to put his grounds in order in buying a fancy horse and buggy to 

 ride once a week perhaps a few miles around the town, the horse 

 growing older and decreasing in value and the buggy growing 

 more shabby every year — and in ten years the money has to be spent 

 all over again; whereas if he had spent just one-half in the orna- 

 mentation of his grounds, planting trees, shrubs, etc., in ten years the 

 trees would be in their glory and would be a greater comfort and 

 and a greater delight to him and to his children for the next hun- 

 dred years than almost anything else could be. Some people ask 

 me sometimes whether I expect to live a thousand years. I think 

 the best way to prepare for death is to prepare for life. The best 

 way to prepare for life is to be doing those things that need to be 

 done, and whenever death comes let him find us all with the har- 

 ness on. 



Mr. Oliver Gibbs : I have nothing new to offer, but I wish 

 to call attention to one point that has been so often mentioned 

 in our meetings. There are many farmers and others who feel 

 unable to buy the trees and plants from nurserymen that they 

 would like to plant, but their grounds are situated near our tim- 

 ber lands and coulees, and if they would only fix their minds upon 

 watching those wild things that almost immediately thrive under 

 garden culture they could go out into the woods and furnish them- 

 selves with plenty of beautiful things to set out on their home 

 grounds, and there is no expense connected with it except the la- 

 bor. I remember that many times Judge Moyer has called our at- 

 tention to that very thing, pointing out the value of those wild 

 shrubs under cultivation. There are so many of them, and I need 

 not name them now, that, planted in our gardens, instead of being 

 little spindling things will fringe out into beautiful forms, with 

 beautiful foliage and some with beautiful flowers. 



Dr. F. M. Powell (Iowa): I think that was an excellent paper 

 read by Mr. Bush. Perhaps the key note of the situation is that 

 we neglect the children too much. The fact is, as has already been 

 referred to in the address by Mr. Loring and others, it is environ- 

 ment that makes up our character, and if we can get the children 

 enlisted in the conditions referred to in the paper we will make a 

 success of it. Let them participate, and let them take a part in the 

 work. I noticed in a garden a little fellow five years old planted a 

 little bed of lettuce, and one head was a little off to one side, and 

 lie would have nothing to do with it, simply because it was off to 



