ANNUAL MEETING, I9O3, IOWA STATE HORT. SOCIETY 35 



ANNUAL MEETING OF THE IOWA STATE HORTICULT- 

 URAL SOCIETY. 



F. H. NUTTER, MINNEAPOLIS, DELEGATE. 



The meeting of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, held at 

 the capitol, in Des Moines, on the 8th, 9th and loth of this month 

 (Dec, 1903) called together a goodly number of the members and 

 others interested in horticultural matters, and the delegate from the 

 Minnesota Society had the pleasant privilege of renewing some old 

 acquaintances and making many new ones. He can only acknowl- 

 edge with thanks the many courtesies shown him by all with whom 

 he came in contact. 



Besides the Horticultural Society, the State Agricultural Society 

 and the Iowa Park and Forestry Association held their meetings at 

 the same time, and caused an embarrassment of riches, for not only 

 were the forenoons and afternoons fully occupied but the evenings 

 also ; and as many persons were members of all three organizations, 

 they were at a loss in which direction to turn their attention. In 

 recognition of this fact the officers of all the bodies were directed 

 to co-operate in the arranging of programs for future sessions in 

 an attempt to minimize this evil. 



The fruit exhibit, arranged in the rotunda of the capitol, was 

 an attractive one of nearly 600 plates, showing specimens of about 

 400 of the over 600 varieties of apples which have been fruited in 

 the state. But few fruits except apples were on exhibition. 



On the other side of the rotunda under the auspices of the sister 

 society, a fine exhibit of corn showed one of the chief sources of the 

 prosperity of the state; indeed some of the speakers, especially in 

 referring to park and kindred improvements, rather hinted that the 

 financial gains to be obtained from "corn and hogs" blinded many 

 and prevented their seeing other and possibly better things. 



A glance at the varieties shown on the exhibition tables and at 

 many of the subjects on the program, as "Treatment of Cherries and 

 Pears," readily convinced a visitor from the "North Star State" that 

 he was in a climate more conducive to fruit growing than his own, 

 but the words of the speakers showed that even there perseverance, 

 intelligent observation of conditions and hard work were equally 

 necessary to success in either state and that with each one there was 

 no "royal road to success." 



The sessions of the first day were devoted to landscape and 

 forestry topics, and in the evening President T. H. Macbride, of 

 the Park and Forestry Association, gave a very interesting lantern- 

 slide talk on rural home life, showing not only American homes but 

 those in foreign countries as well. On account of other and con- 



