SUMMER MEETING, 1898. 245 
prepared 460 illustrations of specimens growing in Virginia, buta 
fire swept them all away. I have studied also the insects that make 
their homein mushrooms. They know what is good to eat and make 
no mistakes. Mushrooms are found everywhere, but are more num- 
erous where there is decaying animal or vegetable matter. Some- 
times they grow for years in fine threads, as fine as a hair. and then, 
when the conditions are favorable, they start up and grow so rapidly 
that it is past believing. These plants are scavengers. They live on 
material not nseful and transform it into something useful. Like 
meat they contain all the elements needed to sustain life. It is true 
some are poisonous, and there is no rule to determine the good from 
the bad. The best way is to have good illustrations, and then be- 
gin, not by trying all kinds, but by trying a certain few. In Ger- 
many the public schools are provided with such illustrations, 
' There are in the United States 8,000 described species, and in all 
-there are 150,000 known species of mushrooms.” 
Miss White was called upon to tell something of the organization 
of the Woman’sAuxiliary Horticultural Society, which was effected 
in the morning, an account of which will be given elsewhere. 
Mr. E.W. Randall called attention to the state fair and to the lib- 
eral premium list on fruits adopted this year by the state fair board, 
in addition to which is a sweepstake prize of $100 for apples, offered 
by Mr. John W. Thomas, of Minneapolis. He spoke of the growth of 
the fair in almost all its departments, and hoped the horticultural 
society wouid have a still larger exhibit than in 1897. 
The following resolution was presented by Mr. Wyman Elliot and 
adopted by the society: 
Resolved, That,in our opinion the interests of our state require 
that more attention should be given to fire protection of our forests 
and to the study of practical and rational forestry principles. 
Gen. C. C. Andrews, state fire warden, made a strong plea for ra- 
tional forest preservation and protection of the lumber interests of 
the state. “Iam glad.” he said, “that the horticultural society is so 
well established that it need not fear to pass aresolution for the 
benefit of the public. I heard of some ladies in St. Paul who wanted 
to go into the pine woods. I really did not know where they could 
go. I did know of villages near which there were once fine forests, 
-now they stand bleak and bare. If I could have my way I should 
have a small forest left in the vicinity of each village in the 
lumber districts. They would be of as muchcomfort as are the Adi- 
rondacks in New York, where large forest preserves have been estab- 
lished through the demands of people who wanted achance to go 
into the forests. It is New York also that has taken the lead, through 
Cornell University, in establishing a college of forestry. Pennsyl- 
vania and other states have done as much. Thereis an industrial 
side to this questionalso. I am told thatthe pine that is cut in Min- 
nesota in one season, just as it stands, is worth five million dollars, 
and when sawed it is worth ten million dollars. This shows the 
‘large interests and great amount of wages involved in our lumber 
industries. It is worth while to protect and perpetuate this enor- 
mous industry, and I trust this organization will uphold these inter- 
ests in Minnesota because of their great public benefit.” 
