OFFICIAL REPORTS. ^ 11 



and administering^ to our several wants. Every member should ap- 

 preciate the efforts that have been put forth bj* the oflicers in giving 

 so much of their time and attention in the administration of its af- 

 fairs during- the past year. From personal knowledge, I am sure 

 conscientious and sound business methods have been used. They 

 have endeavored to give hearty co-operation to the St^tfe Agricultu- 

 ral Society in holding the verj- successful fair the past^eason. 



Our aim and desire has been to secure the best recognition of hor- 

 ticultural interests and ade<|uate premiums to create a healthful 

 competition amongst our fruit and flower exhibitors. In doing this 

 our efforts have met with great opposition from some members of 

 the State Fair Board. This comes largely from their preconceived 

 ideas of diverse interests and their neglected horticultural educa- 

 tion — more an error of the head than of the heart. The tendency in 

 the past has always been to reduce the premiums on horticultural 

 products to a minimum, below what their true merits demand. If 

 we expect to get a proper recognition and adequate means for pre- 

 senting a respectable premium list to our horticultural people for a 

 salutary competition, this societj' should insist upon having a rep- 

 resentative member each year upon the State Fair board. 



We wish to recognize the splendid efforts of some friends who 

 have done valiant work for the promotion of horticultural education 

 among the farmers of our state. We should in some fitting manner 

 commend the very efficient services rendered by Mr. Clarence Wedge 

 in spreading the gospel of horticulture at our Farmers' Institutes. 

 Superintendent Gregg reports that this line of education as pre- 

 sented to the farmers by him will in the near future be like seed 

 cast upon the ground, springing up and bearing four-fold. 



A permanent home for this society is each 3'ear becoming more 

 and more a necessitj', and some measure should be taken that will 

 in the near future accomplish this purpose. 



Our library will soon be crowding the cramped quarters in which 

 it is located, and a change of location will be a necessity. We wish 

 to make one suggestion: Every member of this society ought to 

 feel there is an imperative duty resting upon him, that no one else 

 can perform. All should exert their influence by all possible 

 means among their friends and acquaintances to increase the circu- 

 lation of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" and secure more member- 

 ships to this society. If we should recount the many methods that 

 have been advocated in the past twentj'-nine years of our history, 

 whereby this object might be accomplished, you would become 

 weary. Every successive year some new method has been tried, but 

 the only successful one that has given us much of an increase has 

 been the persistent effort of all the members pulling together in 

 that one direction. In place of 400 or 500 we should have 1,000 mem- 

 bers in this large state with a population of 1,500,0<X). This would 

 be only one member for every 1,500 of population. With such a fol- 

 lowing, all working for the upbuilding of a most worthy industry, 

 it would help improve and clothe our hillsides and valleys with or- 

 chards, fruit gardens and vineyards, supplying an abundance of 

 healthful fruits and beautiful flowers. Will not every memberpree 



