ANNUAL WINTER MEETING. 113 



his attempts towards the abolition of slavery, or the importation of slavery 

 that he had written the declaration of independence; and side by side with 

 that, as if entitled to equal credit and equal honor, he mentioned the fact 

 that he had introduced two plants into the American nation, and he said 

 that the man who introduced a new plant for cultivation did the greatest 

 service to his country. And, as this seems to be Jefferson's time, 

 and as he has come to be the prophet of our country again, we cannot do 

 better than to close with his words, "The cultivators of the earth are its 

 most valuable citizens; they are the most independent, the most vigorous, 

 and the most virtuous: they are tied to their country, and bound to its 

 interest by the most lasting bonds of union." fApplause.) 



President Underwood: Recognizing the importance of the 

 papers of our city and state, and of all cities and states, in advanc- 

 ing the interests of horticulture, I propose the toast ' ' The 

 Press and Horticulture," and ask Mr- C. L. Smith of the Min- 

 neapolis Farmers' Tribune to respond. 



C. L. Smith: Ladies and gentlemen: — During the twenty-six years which 

 have elapsed since the birth of that infant friend Harris has told you 

 about, a ceremony at which I officiated as one of the historical twelve, there 

 has been a great growth and a change in public opinion regarding the cul- 

 tivation of fruits and flowers in our beautiful state. At that time the 

 only flowers cultivated were of the commonest, crudest sort and the 

 fruits, as you have been told, were few and far between. The general pub- 

 lic was sceptical and unbelieving, and scoffers were numerous, and those 

 who were willing to even experiment in the matter of growing fruits and 

 flowers in Minnesota were few. Roses did not bloom in the gardens of 

 our state then, and if there had been a rose fete held in Minnesota it 

 would have been necessary to send to Chicago or New York for their roses. 

 The few berries that we had were the wild ones that grew on the banks of 

 our streams, and the apples came only at long intervals up the river on 

 the Mississippi steamboats. 



Now, of course, the ladies and gentlemen who were largely instrumental 

 in bringing about the present state of affairs did so because of their love 

 for the work and the pride they took in their beautiful flowers and fruit; 

 but they also took a great deal of pride and satisfaction in the accounts 

 published in the newspapers of what they had done, and in many cases 

 they procured numerous copies and sent to their friends in the East, to 

 show them what they were doing in Minnesota. 



The press has not only been an educator, but it has been a stimulant in 

 this work of horticulture in the Northwest. In this nineteenth century, 

 when a man or woman has worked out some problem in agriculture or 

 horticulture or in any other branch of human industry, some enterprising 

 newspaper man interviews him and investigates to the very last detail of 

 that work, and this thing that has cost him so much time and toil and 

 thought becomes public property and is spread out for the use of the 

 whole world. 



There was a time when the press of the land might speak of the beauti- 

 ful tree on which the pumpkins grew and other equally absurd things 

 (applause and laughter), but to-day the man or the woman whose produc- 

 tion of pen or pencil finds its way into the public press, must write intel- 

 8h 



