ANNUAL WINTER MEETING. 85 



spends his money on the farm. That is simply the difference 

 between the two classes of farmers. 



Now for the institute work. I have attended some eight in- 

 stitutes, and I will say to you that if ever there was a plan de- 

 vised by this Horticultural Society for the education of farm- 

 ers, it is through this medium, and never has there been such 

 attention paid to any set of teachers as there is at these insti- 

 tutes. I want to say right here that we have not had an insti- 

 tute where there have not been from two hundred and fifty to 

 five hundred people in attendance. I have made it reasonable. 

 Up at St. Cloud we had a room not as big as this, but at 

 least one-half, and there were many who could not get into the 

 house to hear us. We have represented each branch of farm- 

 ing. There is the horse man, there is the cow man, there 

 is the sheep man, there is the pig man, and there is the Hon- 

 orable ' 'Me" of the horticultural class. We hold a two days' 

 session, and many have come a distance of thirty miles to hear 

 us, and they have all been attentive listeners, and I think 

 every place we have been they have not been disappointed 

 with the instruction they have received. Now as for our time, 

 it is divided. Each one has a certain time allotted to his sub- 

 ject. We could take in a great many more subjects, but we 

 should have to have a good deal more time. 



Now I will tell my work, which is allotted to me. The opening 

 session of the first day they put me on talking about small fruits. 

 I take all the pains possible in telling them how to cultivate 

 small fruits, how to prepare the ground, how to set the plants, 

 how to cultivate strawberries and the profits derived from 

 them. I also tell them how to cover them up, and all those 

 necessary points, just as those people here have been talking 

 about since we met together. Then in the afternoon they put 

 me down to talk to the ladies in the cooking school. I am a 

 great hand to have something good to eat, and I like a good 

 cook to get it ready. They send me down to talk to those la- 

 dies, but for a person as young as I am it is rather embarrass- 

 ing, yet I face the music and do the best I can. I tell the la- 

 dies they must punch up their husbands in this work, and if I 

 get the ladies interested and they say it must be brought about, 

 things generally go right. This is my part of the work for 

 the first day, except in the evening we hold a kind of an extra 

 meeting, and they sometimes get us to tell some little stories 

 just for the benefit of the city. 



