72 _ ANNUAL REPORT. 
I . 
Grimes, J. S. Harris, John Hart, Norman Buck, and many other members of 
our State’ Horticultural Society, been enabled, not only to secure mention 
and attract special notice at the exhibition, but to be one of only six or 
eight horticultural societies to receive an award of a medal on apples, 
as reported among the lists of awards given in January number, 1877, 
of Gardeners’ Monthly and Horticulturist, and this, too, without State 
aid for collecting and paying expenses of such exhibition. While other 
States’ societies had not only years the start of us in fruit culture, be- 
sides the advantages they claim as to climate and soil, added to which 
most of them had liberal State aid or appropriations from legislatures, 
shall we not justly feel proud of our humble efforts under such adverse 
circumstances, and may we not well feel encouraged to persevere and “try, 
try again” in the future; hoping that when the next Centennial Exhibition 
shall come around, that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society may so 
have made itself known, and its influence so felt for the good of the public, 
that the State Legislature of 1976 will not fail to make a small appropriation 
to assist in making the best and fullest display of fruits possible for her to 
make. Although you may think this is looking far into the future, is not 
the future what we are working for ?—not the past. And in what manner 
can we better work for the future, and be likely to be known and honored 
years hence, than by helping to aid the State and its future residents to have 
a full supply of the very best fruits, flowers and vegetables? What better 
fortune can we leave to follow after us than the knowledge of how to most 
successfully grow horticultural products in the State of Minnesota, and 
what will best succeed therein? When we consider the immense advantage 
to ourselves and the State at large our experience and experiments have 
been in the last ten years, what shall we not gain if we only do our whole 
duty, and work with a will and with an eye single to the best interest of the 
citizens of the whole State ? and give all to understand, so that we shall 
not be misunderstood, that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society is not 
the place to bring any axes to grind. We are not in that business. Neither 
is it to be run in the interest of a few nurserymen, but on the broad principle 
of justice to all; and while we do not propose to run it in the interest of 
any one class, we hope to aid all honest efforts of our nurserymen to supply 
all citizens of our State with trees and plants suitable for our climate and 
soil, and by helping to teach the masses how to plant and care for them, so 
that they may grow and produce fruit profitably; and thereby increase the 
business and profits of our nurserymen, and help to keep the money in the 
State that is now paid out to foreign nurserymen and tree-pedlars—at the 
same time help the producers to get value received for money paid, and 
obtain trees and plants that will be of some use to them. 
Such is my idea of a few of the labors of our Society and what it owes 
the public, and believing that when it becomes known that such is our 
object and aim, the public will help and sustain us in our humble efforts 
until every school house in our State shall have its shade and ornamental 
trees and its flower garden, and until every farm and village lot shall have 
its shade, ornamental trees and shrubs, flowers and vegetables, and plenty 
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