286 ANNUAL REPORT 



advance this State Horticultural Society and the cause of horti- 

 culture throughout this state, which we love so well. Now, it is 

 human nature to love that which is dearly bought, that which has 

 cost us something. The State Horticultural Society has cost us 

 old fellows, a great many years of hard work; a great many disap- 

 pointments; and a great many trials. And we love the state and 

 the cause because it has cost us these hardships now one object 

 that we had in view was to benefit the immediate community or 

 vicinity in which we held our meetings. If our deliberations have 

 inspired anyone around Excelsior, around this garden of the 

 northwest; to go on and put some of the things which have been 

 brought up here into practice; if it will be the means of adding 

 one more rose bush upon our lands, or one more ornamental 

 shrub; if it shall be the means of prompting any of the boys or 

 girls here during the spring which is sure to come, to go and help 

 their fathers and mothers ornament their homes, and prompt them 

 to make the first steps in this great study of horticulture, we shall 

 feel we have been well paid for coming here. You have made it a 

 very enjoyable time for us. We have never been treated any- 

 where in Minnesota better than we have been treated here, and 

 yet we feel that Minnesota is the best place in the world to live in, 

 because of the generosity and hospitality of its people. I hope 

 you will certainly improve through the influeuce of this meeting. 

 I hope to hear before long that you are taking steps to organize a 

 local horticultural society. There is not a place in this whole 

 country where you can sustain a local society better then you can 

 right here. You have so many engaged in raising grapes, rasp- 

 berries, strawberries and other things, and in ornamenting your 

 places to make this such a beautiful summer resort, why can't you 

 take steps to organize a local society and keep it up? Over in La 

 Crosse we had been trying to run a horticultural society and for a 

 long time held the meetings in one place. It finally dwindled 

 down to a dozen person, and sometimes less. Some suggested 

 putting argiculture and dairying with it, but we finally adopted the 

 plan of holding our meetings in different sections. We went out 

 to a small town and got together there probably about one hund- 

 red people; the boys and girls came and the little children, and 

 when we got known to each other somebody came in and called us 

 to order and we assembled around a board that was good enough 

 for a Thanksgiving, and we discussed that feast and then went 

 back to work. 



We had another meeting in a place, where it was said we wouldn't 

 have more than four or five persons, and what was our surprise to 



