HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE MINN. STATE HORT. SOCIETY. 413 



was elected secretary, holding this office also in 1873. The min- 

 utes note that I spoke in favor of the Red Astrachan and Sops 

 of Wine apples, and that some one referred to the Golden Russett 

 as never having killed down. We have certainly made some 

 progress in pomology since those days. 



In 1873 the meeting was held in St. Paul, I don't recall 

 where, although I am quite sure that I attended nearly all of 

 the meetings from the time I became a member in '69 — but there 

 were a good many of them, and my memory is somewhat at fault. 

 Mr. Elliot was chairman of a committee that prepared a consti- 

 tution which was adopted at this meeting. This constitution 

 remained in force with slight modifications until at a meeting 

 was held at Lake City in 1895, the constitution now in force was 

 adopted with practical unanimity. This change in the constitu- 

 tion was considered necessary on account of an effort made the 

 two previous years to capture the organization in the interest of 

 some person or policy by bringing in a large number of member- 

 ships at $1.00 each, each such member having a vote just the 

 same as those who had belonged to the association for years. 

 The change in the constitution was a radical one, requiring three 

 consecutive annual memberships to be entitled to vote, and placed 

 the business of the society with the executive board. It made a 

 great difference in the working of the organization, especially at 

 its annual meetings, which were no longer occupied discussing 

 the business of the society, but given up entirely to the considera- 

 tion of horticultural topics. 



In 1874 the meeting was held again in Minneapolis. A few 

 new names appear on the list of members for that year. Reports 

 from two local horticultural societies appear first in the report of 

 this meeting. We had with us in those days Col. John H. 

 Stevens, a very liberal minded person, full of geniality and cour- 

 tesy, who often lead the way in offering votes of thanks to every- 

 body who did anything for the society, often making them hon- 

 orary life members, not taking it for granted as we do now, but 

 putting it down in black and white. This is a very pleasing 

 practice, which we have rather fallen away from these later busy 

 days. At that meeting articles of incorporation for the society 

 were adopted. The records of this meeting are especially inter- 

 esting from the fact that mention of the Wealthy appears in 

 them for the first time. 



Truman M. Smith, of St. Paul, one of the charter members, 

 was president of the society in 1874, as also the previous year. 



