ANNUAL WINTER MEETING. 95 



My business is such that it has been impossible for me to prepare an ad- 

 dress. I would like to have done so but my business is increasing all tlie 

 time and the only time I have had to think about this address has been 

 while I was riding on the train, but I am as much interested in horti- 

 culture now as anybody. 



I saw in this morning's paper a discussion of this disease, heart failure. 

 Now if I were going to advise anyone where to go to escape that dread 

 disease, it would be to get out of the office and goto work on the land. There 

 is no more prosperous business on .earth nor more conducive to happiness 

 than horticulture. I have been told that there are people in Minneapolis 

 who steal because they cannot get any work and they want to get into the 

 workhouse. A gentleman from Minneapolis, — a single-tax man by the 

 way— claimed that there was no work for the young men in your city, that 

 there were so many of them in Minneapolis that they had to steal and 

 get into the workhouse where they would be taken care of. My advice 

 to them would be to get out and get a piece of land and cultivate it. 

 That business has never been overdone in this state. The tendency of 

 to day is for people to go into our large cities. The last census shows 

 that to be a fact. I see in the morning's paper that some of your mem- 

 bers declared yesterday that a man with two acres of land will get more 

 money out of it if he raises fruit than if he cultivates ten acres of wheat 

 That is very good. 



There is another matter against which I wish to enter my protest, and 

 that is the shooting of the poor robins. I am a friend of the robin. 

 Last summer I was in the habit of scaring away the birds who raided 

 my gardens, but one day I discovered a crippled robin — he had a broken 

 leg — and I let him alone (Applause). 



I have been thinking lately it would be well, perhaps, to amalgamate 

 these two associations. I do not know that it can be done, but it seems 

 to me that there is so much of common importance to both that it would 

 be well (Applause). 



Mr. C. C. Aldrich of Morristown then read his paper ' 'Sug- 

 gestion to Beginners in Beekeeping." This was followed by a 

 general discussion on bees and bee-keeping, after which the 

 society adjourned to meet again at 2 o'clock. 



Afternoon Session, 2 p. m., Thursday, January 12. 



The meeting was called to order at 2 p. m. by President 

 Underwood. The opening report was that made by Col. J. H. 

 Stevens, vice-president, fifth congressional district {See index). 

 Mr. Dewain Cook then submitted a similar report from the 

 second district {See index). 



Mr. O. P. Brand notified the society that he would propose an 

 amendment to article three of the constitution on the following 

 day. 



The committee on award of premiums then submitted the 

 following report {See index) . 



Mr. J, S. Harris of La Crescent, of the committee on apples 

 reported that the display was a most creditable one, not only 

 for Minnesota but for any other northern state this year. 



