HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 453 



Local societies next presented their reports, also members of 

 the committee on observation. Some favored planting orchards 

 with trees worked on Siberian stock. It was shown that insect 

 pests had been worse than usual during the last year. Small 

 fruits had generally done well, and there remained no excuse for 

 any farmer's family being without an ample supply of them. 

 The election of officers resulted in the choice of J. M. Smith, 

 president; B. S. Hoxie, secretary; Mrs. V. H. Campbell, treas- 

 urer. 



The afternoon was given to joint sessions of the two societies. 

 Papers were read by Hon. S. H. Mead, of Shell Lake, on "Prop- 

 erty Eights of Individuals." He held that farmers of this coun- 

 try have it in their power to obliterate all monopolies which 

 oppress them if they will work together in harmony and concen- 

 trate their efforts for mutual benefit. "Lights and Shadows of 

 Farm Life," by Mrs. V. H. Campbell, was a grand effort and well 

 received by an appreciative audience. She likened life to a pic- 

 ture by a master artist, who so combines light and shade as to 

 make the result a beautiful picture, holding the shadows 

 in life as in the picture, in order that the light and 

 joy of life may be the more prominent and appreciated. "It is 

 not," she said, "the profession that dignifies the laborer, but the 

 intelligent laborer dignifies the profession and the laborer to- 

 gether. Farmers should be educated upon general topics as well 

 as upon those pertaining to their calling." Hon. Mark Curtiss 

 followed with a discussion of "County Fairs," and Senator Ken- 

 nedy, of Appleton, with "Agriculture — Its Dignity, Utility and 

 Eesponsibility." 



At the evening session Hon. H. A. Taylor gave an eloquent 

 address upon "Farming in Europe and Africa," reviewing it 

 from the palmy days of old Eonie, and the fall of Carthage, down 

 to the present time. Mr. Buttorfield discussed "Unsolved Prob- 

 lems in Agriculture," and B. S. Hoxie concluded the exercises 

 of the day by reading a paper jirepared by D. S. Goff, of Gen- 

 esee, N. Y,, on "Some Questions in Horticulture." 



Thursday the societies held separate meetings to accommodate 

 the legislature with a morning sitting, and all the available room 

 in the capitol was completely occupied. Before the horticultural 

 society A. J. Philips, of West Salem, gave an address intitled 

 "Shall the Farmer Eaise his Own Fruit?" He contended that 

 the farmer may successfully and, in a certain sense, profitably 

 raise all fruit needed in his family by giving vigilant attention 



