Il6 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE IN SECURING 

 MEMBERS. 



The writer of the following letter, with what seems to the editor 

 as unnecessary modesty, declines to have his name appear in con- 

 nection with it and even objects to having the letter printed, but 

 nevertheless it contains a lesson of such practical value that it has 

 been thought best to print it entire in this number. Dear fellow- 

 members, after reading this letter, can you not make the sugges- 

 tions that it contains practical in your own locality. You can do a 

 great deal of good in this way for your neighborhood as well as 

 materially assist the society. There are, as you know, a number of 

 valuable books offered by the society as premiums to those who 

 secure new members. Should you take up this work you would 

 be able to secure all of these valuable books and perhaps have some 

 duplicates also to present to your neighbors, as has been done by 

 the writer of the following letter. — Secy. 



Madelia, Minnesota, Feb. ist, 1904. 



Sec. A. W. Latham. Dear Sir: In looking over the list of 

 members of the horticultural society, and adding the newly acquired 

 names from Madelia, it appears that we have more members than 

 any town in the state except Minneapolis. Now when I think how- 

 easy it was for me to add enough names to put Madelia in that 

 position, it seems that the membership might be extended almost 

 indefinitely. I think you might find around every little center lik.' 

 Madelia some one to take up the work. 



I spent about two hours in the middle of each day for one 

 week in securing about fifty names. There have been heretofore 

 very few members from this county. These names were almost all 

 obtained near Madelia. We have three more centers in this county 

 that should furnish as many names as Madelia, viz. : St. James, 

 Freeman and Lewisville. 



I equipped myself with a copy of your last annual, one year's 

 issues of the monthly, and a good specimen of the Patten's Green- 

 ing apple. The apple was to impress upon their minds the value 

 of the trees which they would receive as a premium. I showed them 

 the annual, calling their attention to the index showing the sub- 

 jects taken up in one year. This they were to receive immediately. 

 I called their attention to the monthlies and the apple tree pre- 

 miums. When these are presented they look what they really are, 

 a good deal for the money. I appealed to the state pride of some, 

 telling them we had the largest society of the kind in the United 

 States. I also mentioned the fact of our having captured the Wilder 

 medal last fall at Boston. 



To one man who has boys — the publications of the society may be 

 the instrument of making them better contented at home ; to an- 



