ANNUAL WINTER MEETING. 73 



I was taken with a remark of the gentleman from Wisconsin, 

 to the effect that you must get at the hearts of the fathers and 

 mothers through their children. That is tact. Now, after you get these 

 people interested in hog, what will you do? Well, I have intimated in 

 institute meetings that we would very soon have a talk on sheep if they 

 are sheep men. Now, you can put in a sandwich of horticulture between 

 them, and thoy will take a little horticulture because of the sheep talk 

 that is coming later. Sam Jones said one day, "Some people make sport 

 of me because I make the people laugh; but when I get them laughing, 

 then I lam in a rock." There is tact there, and I make this application 

 of it to institute work, when I say that, when we get the hog door open 

 we lam in horticulture. 



Now, the next thing to be considered is, what sort of men shall present 

 these subjects to them. These men are farmers, and they have their fami- 

 lies to support and the dollars to look after. They have learned from 

 experience that their dollars come from hay and wheat and cows. They 

 know what abusy life it is. Now, if you put the subject of -horticulture 

 on the platform, and have a man speak on it who has the appearance of 

 being from the city, while they will listen to him because they want to 

 hear about the sheep later, they will discount everything he says. 



And now I want to say to you that while you have always showed great 

 wisdom in the selection of your assistants in this work, you have shown 

 eminent wisdom in recommending Mr. William Somerville in this capac- 

 ity. I have known him twenty years, and I have often said to him, "If 

 you do the best you can, William, you cannot disguise the hayseed that is 

 in you." Why, when he steps upon a platform there is not a man there 

 who does not. know that he is an old farmer; and when this institute 

 learns that this man can run a farm and a garden, and raise berries and 

 evergreens, and make a success of horticulture, it has been a matter of 

 surprise to me to notice liow much interest those farmers felt upon this 

 subject, as they watched his words and took stock in what he said. And 

 after he got through his first winter's work, I can say that in the track 

 of the Minnesota farmers's institute meetings, there were springing up 

 little patches of evergreens, berries, etc., and 1 can see that they are even 

 taking hold of apples, although Mr. Somerville is exercising great care in 

 this matter, being careful not to lay too much stress upon it. 



Now, a word or two about your books. Beyond question you want such a 

 book as you publish foryourself and your fellow horticulturist. But I do 

 not think it is wise for you to attempt to send out your horticultural re- 

 port to the farmers at large. You cannot hope to have enough to give 

 one to everyone who comes in to our meetings, and the consequence is 

 that there is always a feeling of disappointment among those who do not 

 receive a book, even though they may not be interested in it. In this 

 book of ours we try to have a good horticultural department. Our friend 

 Smith says it is "line upon line, a little about strawberries, raspberries^ 

 etc." I am starting out this year to put in that book next year a few en- 

 gravings, all that we can get. This is the kind of work that we want to 

 do in the horticultural department of this state. 



Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience in listening to me, and if 

 there are any questions you want to ask me I shall be glad to answer them. 



