102 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
ST. PAUL, MINN., Dec. 9, 1891. 
A. W. Latham, Esquire, Secretary of the Horticultural Society of Minnesota. 
DEAR Sir: I regret very much that I cannot attend the meeting on 
the nineteenth prox. at Owatonna. It certainly would be a great pleas- 
ure to me to meet you all, and talk over the history of the society, 
and its good work in the past and present, but 1 dare not expose myself 
to severe cold, nor leave home this wintry weather. I hope you may have 
a large and enthusiastic attendance and will read with great interest the 
account of your proceedings in our daily journals. 
The admonitions of failing physical health warn me not to add any 
other labor to the attention required by private affairs. 
Yours truly, 
D. A. ROBERTSON. 
The secretary {then read the following communications from 
A. W. Sias, Pueblo, Colorado, and Truman M. Smith, San 
Diego, Cal., both of which were received with much applause: 
COMMUNICATION. 
FROM A. W. SIAS. 
PUEBLO, COLO., Jan. 1892. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
By invitation from your honorable secretary we now take a hasty retro- 
spective view of your work for the quarto-centennial session. Had your 
stray member beenfin Minnesota at the time your program was made up 
he would have;made a strony effort to head off Owatonna and urged you 
all to return to your ‘‘old home at Rochester” to celebrate your twenty- 
fifth anniversary. The good people of Owatonna know just how to handle 
such honored guests—and Brother Dartt especially will make you feel that 
there is no juice of the apple, pear, plum or grape too good for you—he is 
“built that way”-—like prohibitionists generally. 
Twenty-five years ago last October at the city of Rochester, (as the nov- 
elist would say—of respectable parents) this society was born, Col. D. A. 
Robertson of St. Paul—the eminent scientific hurticulturist—said to be 
its father. Who the noble mother was we have never been able to ascer- 
tain. Some wag suggested that the mother was probably absent when 
the child was born or there would have been an official record kept of the 
members, and their work for 1866. JohnS. Harris officiated as godfather . 
and proved himself faithful to the trust. 
Historians have frequently been terribly nonplussed in compiling works 
of great public interest where carelessness had prevailed for a number of 
years, in regard to names and dates. 1f any member doubts this assertion 
he will oblige me by asking I. Donnelly to give the exact name of Wm. 
‘Shakspeare and the exact date of his birth. And to come a little nearer 
home, please ask the compiler of our first report (in book form) dated 
1873, to give the official report of the transactions of this society for 1866. 
This child of horticulture was educated mostly at Minneapolis, under the 
fostering care and tutorship of Prof. Elliot. The Professor like the late 
P. T. Barnum is ever in search of big shows, big conventions etc., etc. 
This public-spirited trait,so liberally indulged in, paved the way, if itis not 
the direct_cause, why Mianeapolis succeeded in capturing the great Re- 
