HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 249^ 



Mr. Fuller said he was opposed to holding the institutes sepa- 

 rately from the agricultural and dairy, interests. He did not un- 

 derstand that to be the object. 



Mr. Barrett. I was at the farmers' institutes during the sum- 

 mer campaign, and traveled over the Red River valley, 

 where forests are greatly needed. I want to say that in Mr. 

 Gregg I found the right man in the right place, and I do hope 

 that not a word will be dropped here by any member of this 

 Society, that will in any sense conflict with the good work that 

 he is carrying on. I have noticed, however, that there is a lack 

 of interest in horticultural and forestry topics; farmers are all 

 absorbed in the horse; dairy interests and the hog take a promi- 

 nent place. Mr. Gregg allowed me to wedge in here and there 

 some talk on horticulture, but from necessity it was limited, sel- 

 dom more than twenty or thirty minutes; in some localities the 

 subject was not mentioned. Under such circumstances ought 

 we not to do something? We have been tinkering away to in- 

 duce people to plant forests. But they have wheat on the brain. 

 We must compel the people to come in. I used to entertain the 

 idea that men could save themselves, but I have about come to a 

 different conclusion. We must have line upon line, precept 

 upon precept. 



Mr. Pearse. I have been with Mr. Gregg over the southern 

 part of the state. I have found usually at these institutes twen- 

 ty-five or thirty persons that were deeply interested in horticul- 

 ture, but other topics took up most of the time — the cow and 

 the horse. They were the leading subjects of the day. If we got 

 in half an hour on horticulture in a three days' session we did re- 

 markably well. I have found it the best plan to get those inter- 

 ested into a "separate room and give them instruction. They 

 then went away perfectly satisfied. 



A portion of this appropriation belongs to the Society just as 

 it belongs to any other interest. If there is any business that 

 ought to be attended to it is that of planting trees on our West- 

 ern prairies. There are thousands of acres there that will have 

 to be planted to trees. All those people there should be taught 

 how to grow evergreens. The State of Minnesota could well 

 afford to expend $100,000 to plant evergreens in that section of 

 the country; it would be worth millions to them. Why should 

 we hesitate in urging such a worthy cause "? Those people are, 

 many of them, as good people asthere are in Minnesota; they are^ 

 Eastern people; they are educated; they are ladies and gentle- 



Vol. IV— 32. 



