1 8 MINNESOTA STATE- HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



bership roll, as will be seen, has not grown in proportion to the an- 

 nual roll, as comparatively few honorary life memberships have 

 been conferred during- this period. This increase of membership 

 has come very gradually, the average being about lOO a year, and 

 the figures for the intervening years would show something ap- 

 proximating that as to the regular increase. During only one year 

 was there a falling off, the year 1899, the year just closing repre- 

 senting a larger increase than any other, — in the neighborhood of 

 240. This unusual increase has proved something of an embarrass- 

 ment in the matter of furnishing our membership with magazines 

 and reports. Each member being entitled to a bound copy of the 

 report as well as to the magazine, 1248 members would require 

 2496 vplumes out of the 3000 which are printed for us under the 

 act of the legislature providing for the printing of the society. 

 This same act also requires that copies should be sent to members 

 of the legislature, other state officers and public libraries, in all re- 

 quiring about 400 volumes, so it appears that the 3000 volumes 

 are nearly all absorbed by these demands, to say nothing of our 

 exchanges and a surplus which should be retained in the library 

 for future life members, etc. Some arrangement will undoubtedly 

 be made by the executive board to tide over and make good this de- 

 ficiency, and it is only referred to here to emphasize the large in- 

 crease of the work of the society. 



As to the future roll of the society, it is reasonable to presume 

 that pursuing the methods heretofore followed there will be a steady 

 increase and a steady enlargement of the field of operations and in- 

 fluence of the organization. 



The work and expense of the office is of course increased in very 

 much the same proportion as the membership roll. The library has 

 also received the usual increase this year, the number of volumes 

 added to our list being 122, making the total number of books en- 

 rolled in the library approximately 1400. The necessity for more 

 ample accommodations for the office work of the society and the 

 library is especially emphasized by the foregoing figures. Hereto- 

 fore the expense of the rental of a larger office has postponed such 

 a move, but it will inevitably become necessary in the near future. 



As such a large proportion of the society and, indeed, of its at- 

 tendance at the meeting are comparatively new members, a brief 

 resume of the organization of the society may be interesting and 

 valuable information for the secretary to present to you. As most 

 of you are aware, the affairs of the society are managed by an 

 executive board of six members, two of which are elected each vear, 



