226 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the present could g-ive of one's character. ''Laniartine has said, *We 

 know men and women, not so much b}' what they do professionally, 

 as by what they do outside their regular calling.' A lawyer is more 

 than a lawyer, a minister more than a minister, and a horticulturist 

 more than a horticulturist. And so our hostess is more than a lead- 

 er in society, more than a literateur. In giving this invitation to 

 the society, she has recognized the influence of horticulture upon 

 the homes of our country, and hence upon the world at large, and 

 shown herself to be a public-spirited woman." Mr. Dobbyn paid a 

 high compliinent to Mrs. Morrison for her taste and interest in flor- 

 iculture as displayed in the la3dng out of her beautiful grounds. In 

 closing- he extended the thanks of the society for the generous hos- 

 pitalit}^ thej' were then enjoying. 



THE MIxXNESOTA STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 Its motto. "Perseverantiae vincinius,"— "Through perseverance we conquer." 

 Mr J. S. Harris, one of the pioneers in the society, was appropri- 

 ately called upon to respond to this toast, notwithstanding his 

 thought that there had been a serious mistake in calling upon him 

 to answer. Although Mrs. Harris was present, he ventured to say 

 that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society had been his first and 

 longest love, yet, if she had not been the helpmeet she had proved to 

 be, he never could have done as much for the interests of the society 

 as he had tried to do. Starting froin sinall beginnings, he had 

 watched the growth of the society, and was glad to feel assured that 

 it would reach its full manhood and attain its rights. "But this could 

 never have been accotnplished, nor could horticulture have made 

 the advance it has in Minnesota, if the motto of the societ}' had not 

 been kept in view. There had been much to cotitend with besides 

 adverse climatic conditions, not the least of which were the nursery 

 agents froin other states who were continually palming off varieties 

 of fruit unsuited to this region. But Minnesota has created many 

 varieties for herself." 



The speaker paid a high tribute to Peter Gideon in his self-sacri- 

 ficing efiforts in conducting the experiments that finally led to the 

 origination of the Wealthy apple, telling how this lover of fruit 

 went without needed clothes in order to buy the seed with which 

 to experiment. The societyhave heard a good manj^ of Mr. Harris' 

 stories of the privations and discouragements of the early daj'S in 

 Minnesota, but this time he had a new one, telling how his wife had 

 gone barefooted all one summer in order that the monej' luight go 

 for trees. Mr. Harris feels that the victory is already won, and pre- 

 dicts that from the seedlings now coming into bearing will be 

 found varieties that will command a market throughout the country, 

 and that we will even be sending them to Russia. 



THE MINNESOTA HORTICULTURIST, 



The pioneer horticultural journal of the Northwest, and the natural develop- 

 ment and extension of the work of this society. 



Mr. Clarence Wedge, in response, read the following paper, though 

 he apologized for using his manuscript, excusing himself on the 

 ground that lie was following the example of that prince of after-din- 



