252 ANNUAL REPORT 



work has been drawn out so long that people lost their interest 

 in it and in some instances would go away from the hall and 

 didn't give it that attention that it deserved; and so Mr. Gregg 

 would bring on the horse, the cow, or something that would hold 

 the attention of the people, 



Mr, Pearse struck the key note when he spoke about going 

 into another room to teach horticulture. During the last eight 

 weeks of last winter's course, at least one hour was given at each 

 institute to this class of work and we found it very profitable. 

 In these horticultural classes there would be perhaps from ten 

 to thirty-five persons present, interested in horticulture. I 

 finally brought Mr. Gregg to believe, as I did, that there ought 

 to be ten or fifteen minutes given to present the claims of horti- 

 culture during the large attendance, and then allow those who 

 were impressed with these claims and with the questions expres- 

 sed upon them, to gather in the class room and receive instruc- 

 tion that proved very acceptable. 



I think instead of this resolution we need an agreement in re- 

 gard to the amount or kind of horticultural instruction this 

 Society wants given; let that be given on any particular day, and 

 let the balance of the horticultural instruction be given in class 

 rooms, as suggested by Mr. Pearse. 



I certainly hope there will be no division of this fund, or any 

 interference with the powers of the superintendent; because I 

 believe the superintendent ought to be untrameled in his work. 



President Elliot. This is a very important subject and I 

 thought at the time it was introduced the proper way to dispose 

 of it was to put it in the hands of a committee and let them go to 

 work and see what was the best to do. I wish to say a word in 

 regard to a remark of Mr. Smith about some of the officers of 

 this Society having criticised the work that was being done in 

 the institutes, and that we were not giving it our hearty sup- 

 port. Perhaps there are other members in the Society that have 

 thought more and done more, and have put in more time think- 

 ing over it than I have, as an executive officer. But whenever 

 I have seen Mr. Gregg and had a chance to talk with him, I have 

 always brought up the horticultural part of the institute work. 

 We have talked it over time in and time out. He was not satis- 

 fied with the work as it was being conducted; this year it has been 

 experimental work. He was feeling his way. Last year we had 

 any amount of opposition in getting a small appropriation and 

 the idea has been to carry the work along and please the people, 



