BOYS AND GIRLS CANNING CLUB IN MINNESOTA IN 1916. 387 



or a strawberry patch. Let us work with them instead of for 

 them, and we shall find a lot of "Back to the Farm Movement" 

 unnecessary. 



The encouragement of this work by this association has done 

 much to make it a success this year, and I hope you feel that you 

 can help interest the young folks again for the coming year. 



Mr. Baldwin : This matter has been emphasized a good deal 

 in many places and in our town as well. Being a market gar- 

 dener, and being very much interested in the boys and girls every- 

 where, I feel that the older men have a work to do to prepare the 

 way. I have had boys come to me, wanting to put in vegetables, 

 onions and other things, asking my advice relative to these things. 

 Some of the extension men and the school teachers have come to 

 me and wanted to know how about putting the boys to work. 

 You know the average vacant lot in our towns and villages is cov- 

 ered with quack grass and things have run wild and they have al- 

 lowed all manner of weeds to grow up, and it is the most discour- 

 aging business in the world to get boys to work on such pieces of 

 ground. I said to them, if you want to encourage the boys to do 

 work don't give them the worst kind of ground to start with. If 

 we get busy and get these lots ready the year before, or get the 

 boys to raise potatoes or something coarse so we will next year 

 have the ground in shape to raise onions and beets, something like 

 that, they will work them with some degree of pleasure. Let us 

 give the boys and girls a chance, a reasonable chance, and they 

 will love the work. If you don't give them a half a chance they 

 will despise it as long as they live. (Applause.) 



Mr. Philips : I was asked a question today, and I think I will 

 correct the answer I gave. A newspaper reporter asked me (I 

 was coming into the hall here) what was the greatest thing of the 

 greatest benefit to the state of Minnesota that the Horticultural 

 Society has ever done. I studied a little while, and I told her I 

 believed the reinstatement of Mr. Gideon, after a division arose 

 between Mr. Gideon and the society, taking him back into the 

 society with opens arms and getting him to throw his whole work 

 into propagating the Wealthy, was the greatest thing the society 

 ever did. I don't know but what I ought to change it now and 

 say that it is the encouraging of these boys and girls. (Ap- 

 plause.) There isn't a man or woman in this city or in the world 

 but would rather see that young man wearing that badge for 

 doing something than to see a dozen of those smart Alecs around 

 town smoking cirgarettes. (Applause.) 



It has been a part of my life work to encourage the boys to 

 do something useful. A young man asked me : "You recommend 

 every boy to go to an agricultural school after he graduates?" I 

 said: "Yes." He said: "I will have to teach and earn some 

 money, and would you advise me to take the money and spend it 

 in an agricultural school?" I said: "I don't care whether you 

 are going to be a doctor or lawyer or even a nurseryman (laugh- 



