232 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



cumstances in putting in some other things, which in themselves are intrin- 

 sically as valuable. It is too bad so many should be disappointed in this 

 way, but there is no help for it. 



No Horticultural Building This Year. — The present State Legisla- 

 ture has seen fit to refuse the request of the Horticultural Society now for 

 the second time, but we do not feel so badly about this as they also refused 

 practically all of the requests of the State University for buildings, which 

 in the judgment of the Board of Regents are imperatively needed, on ac- 

 count of the high price of labor and building material, and extraordinary 

 demands arising out of war conditions for unusual expenditures. Every 

 item of expense which could be cut out without seriously crippling the state 

 institutions has been refused by the present legislature. As previously 

 noted, hearings were had before both the Finance Committee of the Senate 

 and the Agricultural Committee of the House by the Society Building Com- 

 mittee, assisted by a number of members of the Executive Board. We are 

 informed that the majority of the Finance Committee were favorable to- 

 wards our proposition, but the House Committee decided against us. No 

 appeal was made to our membership to endorse this proposition, following 

 in this the wishes of the members of the legislature who were endeavoring to 

 secure this building for us. We are not discouraged but hopeful. The situa- 

 tion is better for us than two years ago, and we hope successful efforts may 

 undoubtedly be made with the State Legislature two years later. 



Passing of A. J. Philips and Oliver Gibbs. — Since the issue of the 

 last number of the Horticulturist two others of the old members of the 

 society have been taken from us, Mr. A. J. Philips, of West Salem, Wis., 

 and Oliver Gibbs, of Melbourne Beach, Fla. Mr. Philips had been a regular 

 attendant at our meetings for so many years now that he had become well 

 known to all of the members who are present at these gatherings. His prac- 

 tical experience in horticulture and his quaint and humorous way of pre- 

 senting any subject in which he was interested brought him especially into 

 prominence. There will be a strong personal note in his loss which will 

 touch each one of us who has had the opportunity of knowing Mr. Philips 

 and profiting by contact with his personality. 



Mr. Philips was sick at home and then at the hospital at La Crosse in 

 all about three weeks. His death occurred March 22 last. His name first 

 appears on the membership roll of this society in 1876, more than forty 

 years ago, and from personal knowledge of the earliest meetings of the asso- 

 ciation and its active membership at that time it is more than likely that 

 he attended meetings at an earlier date and was a member of the society, 

 the earlier rolls of the association being kept in an imperfect way, which 

 make the exact date of membership an uncertainty. 



Oliver Gibbs came into the society at about the same time. His name 

 appears on the roll first however in 1880. Both Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Philips 

 "eve made honorary life members only a few years later. Mr. Gibbs was 

 always very prominent in the councils of the association up to the time of 

 his removal to Florida, where the last decade of his life was spent. Very 

 few members have contributed more in a practical way to the work of the 

 association than these two whose names are grouped together in this notice. 

 Mr. Gibbs was secretary of the society during three years, having been 

 appointed to fill a vacancy in 1882, and only resigning on account of the 

 duties devolving upon him as superintendent of the exhibit of the state of 

 Minnesota at the New Orleans Exposition. On account of his absence from 

 the state most of the time for the past ten or twelve years, and his blindness, 

 which for some years has been practically complete, the membership of late 

 years have seen very little of Mr. Gibbs, but the work that he did during 

 his active years for the association had large value and contributed more 

 than can be told in this note to the permanent life and growth of the asso- 

 ciation. A biographical sketch of Mr. Gibbs was published in the report of 

 this society for 1901, accompanied by his portrait taken at that time. A 

 biography of Mr. Philips is found in the report of this society for 1898. In 

 later numbers of this monthly, some time during this year, "in memoriam" 

 sketches of the lives of these two prominent members will find suitable place 



