MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 3 
and horticultural topics in general, but had no authority for So do- 
ing, according to the By-Laws. 
TREASURER’S REPORT. 
Mr. A. Stewart, the Treasurer, aed a rdpbrt! Which showed a 
balance in his hands of $7.33. 
LETTER FROM MR. HAMILTON. 
The President then read the following from one of the members, 
who was unable to be present: 
Winona, January 19, 1875. 
To the President of Minnesota State Horticultural Society, St. Paul, Minn. : 
Dear Sir: As it will be impossible for me to attend the annual meeting 
this winter (for which I regret very much,) I thought perhaps a word would 
not be out of place, for I know you will all need what sympathy you can 
get. If any one needs some one to lean upon and cast their burden upon, 
it is the nurserymen and fruit growers of Minnesota, and yet I must call 
each and all of them ‘‘ public benefactors.” But, oh! how little are they 
appreciated and how much they have to bear from the unsympathizing 
world. How little does the man who makes it necessary for the agent of 
some nursery grower to get out of his house and*off his premises, know the 
long days and nights of toil that have been spent upon the propagation of 
one single crab apple, which he has had the fortune to raise one single spe- 
cimen of fruit, and can be classed as one of the best and placed upon the 
list as delicacies and one of the ‘‘ new crabs.” Is not this public benefac- 
tion, something new to the world, and yet how little he is appreciated and 
how he is criticised: Will the tree be hardy in Minnesota? How long have 
you had it in bearing? Oh! only this year; but it must be as hardy as an 
oak. Does such a man need sympathy about now? Then we are in the 
midst of hard times and the farmers say can’t afford to set trees, and if I did, 
the cold of winter would discourage the growth of the trees, or the extreme 
heat of the sun in the summer would scald the bark, and the south, east, or 
west wind (I do not know which does it,) will blast or blight the branches 
insummer. Does not the public benefactor need more than human sympa- 
thy? 
Well, let us turn from this in part, and see if there is a bright side for the 
purseryman and fruit grower. They must have their reward, for we are 
told that all will be rewarded either in ‘‘this world or the world which is 
to come,” and ‘‘those who go up through much tribulation,” &c. This as- 
pect looks much brighter, so then friends take courage, you have my sym- 
pathies. I repeat it, and although I am entirely out of the business, I take 
a great interest in the enterprise of tree planting in Minnesota, and if any 
one wants a monument set in memory of past losses and past failures, I 
can erect for them either in the renowned durable Scotch granite or our Na- 
tive American granite, something which will always be a reminder of what 
they have passed through, so they may never forget. Some will 
say, oh, that I could forget. So say I. Perhaps I am on the dark 
side of the picture, if so, I will retouch the negative a little. Misery 
loves company you know. Other States have gone through all this, 
and have come out at last very good fruit growing States, and why may we 
not? Let us learn to wait a little, but at same time keep at our knitting. 
Let us plant large tracts of forest trees, hedges, &c., across our farms. 
Let us protect from the cold of winter and heat of summer. Encourage 
forest tree culture in this your 1875 meeting. Get up an interest in this, and 
in my Opinion, one of the great advantages will have been made, and one of 
the most necessary remedies will have been accomplished. Show this up 
