400 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Passing ok Dr. F. M. Poweli<. — "The Fruitman" for August announces 

 the death of F. M. Powell, at a hospital at Chicago, following an operation, 

 at the age of 55 years. For twenty-two years he was superintendent of the 

 home for feeble minded children at Glenwood, Iowa. In 1896 and 1897 he 

 was president of the Iowa Horticultural society. Those of our members who 

 were present at the annual meeting of this society in December, 1901, will 

 remember Dr. Powell being present in the capacity of delegate from the Iowa 

 society. He presented a paper at that time on the subject of "School Gardens", 

 the result of his observation and much practical experience at the school of 

 which he was superintendent. The article was published in the volume of our 

 report for 1902. 



Another Wilder Medal for Minnesota Apples. — Mr. Wyrnan 

 Elliot was appointed the delegate from this society to the late biennial session 

 of the American Pomological Society, held in Boston, Sept. 9, 10, and 11. 

 He Itft Minneapolis for Boston on the night of September 6, immediately after 

 the close of the state fair, taking with him a fine show of apples, collected 

 mostly from the fruit exhibit at the state fair. In this collection were the 

 Perkin's seedlings, a number of other seedling collections and single plates, 

 and a few plates showing the varieties of apples generally grown in Minnesota, 

 the whole making a splendid exhibit of some 200 plates. These were set up 

 in Horticultural Hall, in Boston, where the society met, on Wednesday morn- 

 ing, September 9, and remaining on exhibition during the meeting. In the 

 list of exhibits to which awards were made, as appearing in the Boston 

 dailies, the show of apples from Minnesota occupied the first place as having 

 received the Wilder silver medal, which we understand to be the highest form 

 of testimonial by that society. This is the second Wilder medal that has been 

 awarded by the Pomological Society to Minnesota fruits shown by this society, 

 the first one being in 1883. Mr. Elliot will make a very full report upon this 

 matter, probablj' in the November number of the Horticulturist. 



Interest the Children. — Mr. A. J. Philips, Wis. There is no state 

 in the union that pretends to beat Minnesota in the way of .state fairs, but I 

 do say Wisconsin can beat any state in the union in a county fair, and that 

 fair is in Walworth County. Twenty years ago they inaugurated the plan of 

 giving the children premiums and brought children from adjoining counties, 

 and those children have children of their own now, and they come to the fair 

 every year. As secretary of the county fair last fall, we were bothered to 

 know what to do to get the people there; we cannot run a fair without people; 

 and I thought of this plan: We have twelve towns in the county, and I pro- 

 posed that each town send a child to compete for a prize in speaking. Well, 

 they did not think much of the plan at first, but it went through, and two 

 little girls won the prizes. One man said we could not get people to come to 

 the fair to hear children speak in public, but the result was that because we 

 had those twelve children from the county come there to speak we took in 

 double as much money as when we had a $500 horse race. (Applause.) If 

 we do something to interest the children you will interest the parents and the 

 brothers and the sisters. I have got letters from all but one of those four 

 boys and eight girls that competed for those prizes. They are nice letters, 

 they beat dunning letters all to picee. (Laughter.) They are the nicest lot of 

 letters I have ever received. Do anything you can to encourage the children. 



