402 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
The Austin meeting was not a great success in point of numbers, 
but it developed one or two men who have taken a personal interest 
in the society ever since, and, as in the case of all such organiza- 
tions, have constituted the real backbone of the society. The 
papers read were not such as would greatly enlighten advanced - 
classes in horticulture, but they were practical and elicited discus- 
sion which was carried out with interest and profit to all. Member- 
ship was fixed at one dollar per year, and, according to the then exist- 
ing rules of the state society, this entitled the holder toa copy of the 
paper bound reports of the state society. A membership of twenty- 
nine was secured, and the society safely Jaunched. 
The second annual meeting was held in Albert Lea, where through 
the liberality of our merchants premiums were offered for col- 
lections of apples, and by considerable advertising an attendance 
that filled the principal parlor of the commercial club was gathered 
together, and the membership increased. But the history of our 
society is too long to give in such detail, and we will only venture a 
few general observations from our experience, that may be a helpto 
others. 
By alternating our meetings between the two cities and by excit- 
ing each to do better for the society than the other, we have been 
able to offer free entertainment to all members, secure pleasant 
halls at nominal rates, and so manage the expenses of the society 
that we have been forehanded and able to spend the money that 
we had in the treasury rather than that we hoped to have. While 
the society was in its infancy we found it a good investment to pay 
the traveling expenses of prominent men to come and instruct and 
encourage us, but the feeling seems to prevail that now our meet- 
ings are sufficiently attractive to insure a high grade of attendance 
without any additional inducement. The problem which we are 
now trying to solve is how to bring out the lesser lights in our sec- 
tion and make our society fulfill its real mission of reaching the 
masses. Our last meeting held in Austin, when over a hundred 
were in attendance, was the nearest a success in this matter of all 
we have held, and was due entirely to personal work by the old 
guard before the meeting. It seems alsoa good plan to hold our 
meetings on days when the farmers are likely to be in town in full 
force and then hire a good, respectable citizen to spend his time on 
the streets urging those who may happen to be in town to step into 
the meeting for afew moments. If he proves a hustler, the farmers 
will pour in and many “who come to scoff will remain to pray.” 
There are several sections of the state that ought to have similar 
local societies. There is the valley of the Blue Earth river, situated 
in the midst ot the “Wealthy” districts,with the Richardson nursery 
and Park’s famous seedling orchard as centres of attraction. The 
valley of the Cottonwood river would bring together a large fraction 
of the plum men of our state, where Cook and Wood and Knudson and 
Penning could swap experiences and instruct their neighbors in the 
mysteries of growing Prunus Americana. And there is the Rock river 
and the Root river and many other localities where county societies 
could be easily organized and might become feeders to our state 
