ANNUAL MEETING, 189-i. 493 



The plan of offering- premiums for members seems to be a practi- 

 cable one and, if begun earlier in the season, it would, v.'ithout 

 doubt, yield satisfactory results. It is possible, perhaps, that some 

 arrang-ement might be made with the experiment station, so that 

 annual premiums, consisting- of some new and worth)- varieties of 

 fruits and flowers, might be sent to all members. A suggestion 

 looking toward? this has been discussed and may, in the future, 

 yield results. 



While speaking of this premium matter, I will refer brieflj- to the 

 plan which was adopted by the executive committee, and which I 

 had the honor of carrj'ing out, of distributing strawberrj- plants 

 ainong the children of the state. The following notice was published 

 quite generally in connection with the premium notice: 



STRAWBERRY PLANTS FREE FOR THE CHILDREN'. 



To encourage an interest in horticultural pursuits among the j'oiing people of 

 our state the Minnesota State Horticultural Society offers by mail freerto the first 

 one thousand Minnesota children under 16 (^only one in a faniilj-} making written 

 application, six strawberry plants of some good variety. 



The applicant must give name, age, post office and county, enclosing 4 cents in 

 stamps to pay for packing and postage, and promise to set and care for the plants 

 according to the directions to be furnished, and to make a report of their condi- 

 tion in September, ISkS. 



Please write the word "strawberries'* in the upper left hand corner of the en- 

 velope. 



Application must be made to A. W. LATHAM, Secretary, Excelsior, Minn. 



The responses numbered 619. The plan being so much in the na- 

 ture of an experiment and quite different from that adopted by 

 Brother Thaj'er, of Wisconsin, was not advertised as widely as the 

 premium scheme, but the results were, as far as numbers were con- 

 cerned, quite satisfactory. Applicants were required to report in 

 September. This part of the plan, certainlj-, was not much of a suc- 

 cess, pnl3' five or six out of the 619 making the report. Here is a 

 specimen: 



Nov. 15th, 1S93. 

 Mr. a. W. LATHAM, 



Dear sir: I would have written to you when I first got the strawberrv plants, 

 if I had not lost your address, as my plants died soon after I got theni. Thej' 

 were very dry when I got them; nearlj- dead I think. Thank you for sending 

 them. 



Judging by this letter and a few others from the children, the 

 criticism seems to be that the plants in such small quantities do 

 not arrive in good condition. However, for all we know, the balance 

 who did not report may have succeeded. A modification, providing 

 that the plants be sent in bulk to the teachers of the state and dis- 

 tributed by thein under proper conditions, might yield more satis- 

 factory results. 



It was my privilege to be present at the summer meeting, held at 

 the experiment station at St. Anthon}- Park, and the trip which I 

 made from my field of work in j^our interests at the World's Fair was 

 well repaid b}- the pleasure of that occasion. Probably seventy-five 

 were present, and the bright daj- and the genial hospitality of the 

 people at the station made the gathering one to be remembered. 

 To those who have never taken the opportunitj' to attend the short 

 summer session it is fitting to sa^- that these gatherings are among 

 the most enjoj-able of the society. Come and see, and be profited. 



I need not saj- to 3'ou that this has been a very unfortunate season 

 for the orchardist and somewhat so for the small fruit grower. In 

 my work at the Fair, I had special opportunit}' to notice this. If it is 

 true that misery loves company, however, j-ou had plenty of it, for 

 almost the only apples worth anything in the market today are 

 coming in boxes from the Pacific coast and retailing at fortj" cents 

 a dozen. I think that the discouraging apple crop has something 

 to do with the program this year, as very few of our members have 

 shown a disposition to write on this subject, and there will be no 

 long papers to interfere with the discussion of anj- phase of it that 

 comes up. 



