JOURNAL OF 



Minnesota State Horticultural Society, 



DECEMBER 1-4, 1903. 



TUESDAY MORNING SESSION. 



The thirty-seventh annual meeting convened in the auditorium 

 of the First Unitarian Church, MinneapoHs, and was called to order 

 at lo o'clock a. m., by the president, Mr. Clarence Wedge, of Albert 

 Lea. 



The exercises were opened by an organ prelude rendered by 

 Mr. E. A. Smith, of Lake City, which was followed by a vocal solo 

 by Prof. Crosby Hopps, of Minneapolis. 



The President : It seems especially fitting at this time, as we 

 meet in this beautiful church, with the sacred and harmonious 

 strains of the organ in our ears, and the sentiment of that song, 

 which takes us back to the Beulah land of old associations, it seems 

 especially fitting that this association, with the tender feeling of 

 the glad Thanksgiving day still in our hearts, that we should invoke 

 the divine benediction upon this gathering, and we will join with 

 Dr. Simmons as he pronounces the invocation. 



Prayer was then offered by Dr. H. M. Simmons. 



President Wedge then formally opened the meeting with the fol- 

 lowing words of greeting: 

 Brethren of the Horticultural Society : 



It is one of the greatest pleasures of my life to greet you this 

 morning as your president. When I say brethren, I mean it in the 

 fullest and broadest sense of the term. We want to inculcate a 

 feeling of brotherhood. We mean it as a brotherhood. We mean 

 to spread that feeling not only among the members of the horti- 

 cultural society, but all over the state, what we might call a com- 

 munity of interests, such as is generally felt in these times. 



I wish to say that one of the most important things we can do, 

 and one that Ave ought to do, is to become acquainted with each 

 other. We have a badge book, and your badges are all numbered, 

 so that by referring to the book you may know the name of each 

 wearer of a badge, and I want you to become acquainted with each 

 other; I want you especially to make the younger members wel- 

 come and feel at home, and I wish to say to the older members that 

 this duty devolves upon you. 



I believe this is the largest attendance we have had at the open- 

 ing of any meeting, especially so early in the morning. Let us take 

 each other by the hand, let us inquire each other's names, introduce 



