416 SEMI-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY. 



hall. This incident was the cause of a long estrangement 

 between Mr. Gideon and the society. Mr. Gideon was in a sense 

 for many years the storm center of the society. He was a man 

 of very strong convictions, great determination of character and 

 without regard to any personal sacrifice on his own part insisted 

 on what he believed to be right, even though he might disagree 

 radically and to his injury with his best friends. He will be 

 spoken of by others and due credit be given him for his self- 

 sacrificing labors in the development of Minnesota horticulture. 



In 1890 the annual meeting was held in the Town Hall of 

 Excelsior, Prof. Samuel B. Green being secretary ithat one 

 year. The following year the meeting was held in Minneapolis 

 in what is called now the Metropolitan Life Building, and at 

 this meeting, it being Professor Green's earnest desire, I was 

 made secretary. There was some exhibit of fruit made at 

 this meeting and also had been in some previous years; not, 

 however, in any such large way as has been done in the later 

 years of the society. There were 118 paying members on the 

 roll that year. 



As this date brings us to the last twenty-five years of the 

 life of the society, with which you are more familiar, I pass 

 more rapidly over this period, during which I have served the 

 society as its working officer. Mr. J. M. Underwood, one of 

 our oldest members, as he first joined the society in 1870, occu- 

 pied the position of president for seven years, from 1892 to 

 1898. Of these years '92 found us at Owatonna, '93 and '94 in 

 the Lumber Exchange, in Minneapolis. 



In 1894 the society adopted a radical change in the method 

 of publishing its reports, issuing them thereafter as a monthly 

 magazine, to be bound up at the close of the year for distribu- 

 tion in that form to the membership. This change undoubtedly 

 had much to do with the rapid growth thereafter of the society, 

 which for many years now has undoubtedly had the largest 

 membership roll of any horticultural society in this country. 



In 1895 we met at Lake City, and here we held our first 

 society banquet. It was not till six years later we had another, 

 since when it has been a regular feature of our annual gathering. 

 The four years following we met in the County Commissioners' 

 rooms at the Courthouse. At the last of these four meetings Mr. 

 Gideon was with us for a short time on one occasion, a venerable 

 figure with his long white hair. We saw him no more, as he soon 

 after passed away. 



