484 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Now we have O. W. Moore, of the Southern Minnesota Horti- 

 cultural Society with us. We are very glad to see his face here, 

 and shall be glad to hear a word from him. 



Mr. O. W. Moore : I never had the pleasure of meeting with 

 the state horticultural society before this time. I have been a mem- 

 ber of the society for eight or nine years, but I have never met with 

 you before. We organized a local society, called the Southern 

 Minnesota society, some eight years ago, comprising the counties 

 of Fillmore, Mower and Freeborn. We have been struggling along 

 in our weak way. We had at one time some ninety odd members, and 

 then again we had less than that. We are all interested in the work 

 down there. We are also interested in the work that is done up here, 

 and for that matter all over the state of Minnesota and the North- 

 west. We are proud of our society and proud of the members that 

 belong to it. The old men who took hold of this work in the early 

 days of the state were men of tenacious purpose. They have held 

 on to their purpose. They experimented and failed, they experi- 

 mented again and failed, and still they had the courage to try again. 

 The success they have attained is evidenced by the exhibition in the 

 other room, and it is a sight that is worthy of their work. The 

 people that emigrated to this state in its early days were made of the 

 right kind of stuff. They were men that were not intimidated by the 

 hardships and privations of a new country, but they have built up 

 a wonderful work, and they built wisely. The evidence is here to 

 that effect. Forty-two years ago this fall I was at Ft. Snelling drill- 

 ing to go south in the organization of the 1st Regiment to help set- 

 tle the trouble in the southern states. One Sunday a number of men 

 came up the river as far as Minnehaha Falls. It was then in a wild 

 state. We did not come any further, but I could see up this far 

 where we are at present, and with the exception of a few houses at 

 St. Anthony Falls, a little hotel and a few houses, there was nothing 

 visible to the naked eye, not a single building. I saw this on coming 

 up from Ft. Snelling and passing what was once St. Anthony Falls, 

 and all these things came back to me. With our agriculture and 

 horticulture, with our animal and dairy industries, with our farm 

 school and state university we ought to be a proud people, at least 

 I am proud of the people and proud of the state. (Applause.) 



The President : I feel like thanking friend Moore for these 

 reminiscences of the old times, because as he pictures Minnesota as 

 it was then we can fill out the picture and see it as it is today, and 

 see the progress we have made, and this is an encouragement for the 

 future. 



Nearly all of us are acquainted with Mr. Philips of Wisconsin. 

 He is one of the old stage horses there. He is known wherever 

 Wisconsin horticulture is known. He has made himself an envious 

 reputation there and in neighboring states. Once in a while he miss- 

 es a meeting, but he is found with us in most of our meetings. We 

 are always glad to see him and always glad to hear from him. Now 

 I will ask Mr. Philips to say a word. 



Mr. A. J. Philips, (Wis.) : My wife would be surprised to hear 

 that introduction. I asked her to come here with me, but she said 



