68 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



President Underwood: I know how interested you were 

 in listening to this valuable paper of Mr. Thayer's and I 

 hope you will discuss it thoroughly, asking Mr. Thayer all the 

 questions you can possibly think of. 



Mr. C. L. Smith: I move that the magnanimous offer of our 

 friend Mr. Thayer, be accepted by the Minnesota State Horti- 

 cultural Society with thanks. 



Mr. Sampson: I second the motion. 



Mr. Alfred Terry: In seconding the motion I would like to 

 say that Mr. Thayer's work in Wisconsin reminds me of the 

 work done by our ever to be remembered Mr. Hodge. I have 

 seen the time in years gone by when the little ones from nine 

 years old and upwards were planting some thousands of trees 

 in order to get the medal, and I have seen in later years some of 

 those trees planted by the then young men. I remember 

 very well the work that Mr. Hodge performed in the southern 

 part of the state, where as yet we had no artificial forests at 

 all, but which is now dotted over with trees that were planted 

 by those children, or afterwards replanted by their parents, 

 who could only have been made tree planters through the lead- 

 ing of the little children. I feel that Wisconsin has a Hodge, 

 and I hope that Mr. Barrett will take Brother Hodge's place in 

 this state, and establish groves on our prairies, in whose shade 

 those w^ho follow us will sit and cry "Woodman, spare that 

 tree" to this country. (Applause.) 



Mr. Barrett: I want to say that this experimentation, and 

 its consequent suggestions, offered to us in Minnesota, strikes 

 me as the most practical enterprise that we can engage in As 

 the secretary of the forestry association, I feel as though I 

 had a new inspiration in this arduous battle for the right — for 

 the planting of trees, and I think 1 could be instrumental in 

 reaching the young people in some such way as Mr. Thayer 

 has mapped out. It looks to me as though we could combine 

 horticulture and forestry in a matter of this kind, and largely 

 through the distribution of circulars, and similar methods. I 

 would like to ask Mr. Thayer if the Arbor Day experiment in 

 planting trees was a success. 



Mr. Thayer: Report shows that over two thousand districts 

 outside of the cities observed Arbor Day and planted 18,393 

 trees. 



I wish to say, Mr. President, that there are very few in this 

 room who appreciate how much can be done in the direction I 

 suggested. You cannot realize the feelings of those children 



