Pees 
ANNUAL WINTER. MEETING. ant 
could not do that Can’t you put us on to something in that line? I 
would suggest, however, that if you gentlemen are going to experiment 
in this matter of irrigation while you are here, knowing our friend Dartt, 
as we all do, I would advise you to confine your experiments exclusively 
to tue city water. (Laughter.) 
Now, as I said before, make yourselves at home. If there is any thing 
that we can do for you we will do it, and if you see us running off just 
halloo and tell us that you want us. Again, I will say that we are glad 
that you are here, and we hope you will come again. (Applause.) 
RESPONSE TO ADDDESS OF WELCOME. 
BY J. M. UNDERWOOD, LAKE CITY. 
In behalf of the society I return you our sincere thanks for this cordial 
welcome. I am very glad of the earnest request on your part that we 
should make ourselves at home, and that it did not end up as the old 
lady’s did. She had some company come to see her one afternuon—some 
lady friends, and when they came in she said: ‘‘] am delighted to see you, 
I hope you will make yourselves at home. I am at home, and I wish you 
were.” (Laughter.) We have come here from our several homes, scat- 
tered over the state of Minnesota, for the purpose of renewing our ac- 
quaintance with one another, and also to report to this association our ex- 
perience during the past year; to counsel with each other how we may, if 
possible, avoid any mistakes that we have made in horticulture. When 
your invitation first came to us ‘‘on the wings of a Dartt,” we were not 
very swift to accept it. We were occupying a very pleasant situation on 
the lap of Miss Minne-Apolis, and as most of us are rather fond of female 
‘society we were rather loth to leave that situation; and then, too, your 
Honorable Representative from Owatonna has always occupied a very 
conservative position in our society, and has generally been found sitting 
on our coat tails when we were getting too giddy, and we thought it was 
an idea of his that we were getting too familiar with Minne. However, 
we are very glad to be here. I find that we have come to a bright and en- 
terprising city in which the interests of horticulture have seemingly been 
well cared for as evidenced by your well appointed lawns and parks, cov- 
ered with a fine growth of shade and ornamental trees. I have learned 
that Owatonna derives its name from the Indian word ‘Owatonnah,” 
signifying straight, and I conclude that you are a straight, upright class 
of people, and that it becomes us as horticulturists to conduct ourselves 
in a straight and becoming manner. It seems fitting, that to a commun- 
ity of this character, the large educational interests located here should 
be entrusted. On this occasion we pass the 25th mile post of our exist- 
ence aS a society. I am reminded forcibly that many of our earnest and 
most efficient workers in horticulture have been called to their long rest, 
and that many others have moved away out of the state. Many of us are 
growing old with the cares and burdens of life. It is our earnest desire, 
in meeting here with you, that the citizens of Owatonna and the sur- 
rounding communities should feel free to come in and participate in our 
deliberations and become interested workers in our society. Anticipat- 
ing a very pleasant and profitable meeting with you I again return you 
our thanks. (Applause. ) 
