HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE MINN. STATE HORT. SOCIETY. 411 



Historical Sketch of Minnesota State Horticultural Society 



A. W. LATHAM, SECY. 



What I am to say at this time is somewhat in the nature of 

 a historical sketch of the society, avoiding as far as possible all 

 those subjects that will be taken up later by other members. 



This society was organized at Rochester, in this state, Octo- 

 ber 4, 1866. Of the charter members as then recorded none 

 are now living, the last one to pass being Wyman Elliot, with 

 whose name and personality of course you are all familiar. There 

 are two others, yet alive, who claim to have been present at that 

 first meeting, whose names, however, are not in the list of charter 

 members, Mr. O. F. Brand, now residing in California, and Mr. 

 C. L. Smith, a resident of Oregon. 



Col. D. A. Robertson, a prominent citizen of St. Paul, was 

 the first president of the society. While his name appears later 

 in the reports of some of the meetings, he was not long actively 

 connected with the association. 



The second meeting was held also in Rochester, October 4, 

 1867, one year later. The records show only ten names as present 

 at that meeting. Mr. A. W. McKinstry, a newspaper editor of 

 Faribault, appears as president for that one year. Mr. 

 McKinstry died a year or two since, at an advanced age, having 

 retained his connection with The Faribault Republican almost 

 up to the day of his death. He was always a loyal supporter of 

 the society, though only for a short time prominent in its 

 counsels. 



There is a measure of uncertainty about the history of the 

 first few years of the society as it was not until several years 

 after its organization that arrangements were made to gather 

 the fragmentary records and put them in shape for preservation, 

 which was done very carefully by John S. Harris, of LaCrescent, 

 who will be spoken of later by others. I think that this was a 

 labor of love on Mr. Harris' part, who was always an ardent 

 worker in the society and continually serving in some practical 

 way up to the very time of his death. 



In 1868, September of that year, the third meeting was 

 held, in Minneapolis, the membership roll showing forty-two 

 names. The name of Peter M. Gideon appears here for the first 

 time, with such other names as C. M. Loring, P. A. Jewell, J. T. 

 Grimes, John H. Stevens, 0. M. Lord, and many other names 

 familiar in Minnesota horticulture. Indeed the roll for that year 



