446 ANNUAL KEPORT 



PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL ADDRESS. 



By M. Cutler. Sumter. 



Members of the McLeod Goiuity HorticulUiral Society: 



It gives me pleasure to meet with you again, and my greatest 

 desire is that this may prove a profitable and interesting meet- 

 ing to all present, and that something may be done here today 

 that will cause others to take an interest in our society as well 

 as horticultural work for the health and hapj)iness of their fam- 

 ilies. 



While we have not as many members as we should like to 

 have, we must remember that small beginnings often produce 

 great results. We have as many members as the State Society 

 had during the first year of its existence. Still it is a great suc- 

 cess, and each year, through its members and instructive reports, 

 exerts an influence for good that cannot be counted in dollars 

 and dints. A large part of our people have migrated from lands 

 that produce apples and other fruits in abundance and 

 there is a longing desire to gather fruit from their own vine and 

 tree. How intense that desire is, is best shown by the readiness 

 with which they have parted with their hard-earned dollars 

 when the tree agent has appeared with his beautiful pictures 

 and nice stories of hardy fruits adapted to our climate, thereby 

 inspiring hopes to be blighted with the first blasts of winter. 



The history of fruit growing in McLeod county presents a 

 dark and dismal record. Enough money has been worse than 

 wasted to make several fair fortunes, but we hope a better day is 

 coming. The perseverance of such men as Gideon, Tuttle and 

 a score of others will, in a few years, solve the apple problem, 

 and our list of small fruits is being rapidly extended so that we 

 see no reason to doubt the realization of the hopes of these 

 old pioneers who have predicted that Minnesota would become 

 as famous for her fine fruits as for fine wheat. Let it be the ob- 

 ject of our society to inform the people of the merits of theSe 

 new fruits and warn them of. the danger and risk in giving their 

 money to oily tongued strangers. With your permission I will 

 offer a few suggestions. 



I think a committee should be appointed to attend the annual 

 meeting of the County Agricultural Society and if said society 

 will agree to banish fakirs, fortune wheels and all similar 



