STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 63 
first mastering the literature that pertained to it. The lawyer, physician, engi- 
neer and others have their iibraries, containing books and periodicals treating 
upon every subject that has a bearing upon the prosperity of his calling, but 
how often the farmer’s library contains not one single volume that sheds a ray 
of light upon his busmess. No wonder the days drag wearily by. No wonder 
his boys have a disgust for their father’s calling and desert the old homestead. 
_ We believe that this soaety can do no better work than to encourage the dis- 
semination of horticultural literature and we submit, for the adoption of this 
meeting, the following list of books and papers as worthy of a place in every 
farmer’s home, viz: 
. A complete set of Transactions of Minn. State Hort. Society. 
. Warder’s American Pomology. 
Barry's Fruit Garden. 
. Downing’s Fruit and Fruit Trees of America. 
Fuller’s Grape Culturist. 
. Henderson’s Gardening for Profit. 
. Henderson’s Practical Floriculture. 
. Bryant’s Forest Tree Culturist. 
. Downing’s Landscape Gardening. 
10. Harris’ Insects Injurious to Vegetation. 
11. American Ornithology— Wilson & Bonaparte. 
12. Gray's Lessons in Botany. 
13. Darwin’s Variation of Animals and Plants. 
14. Department Report on Forestry, U.S. | 
15. Reports of Department of Agriculture, U. 3. 
16. Reports of Wisconsin and other Horticultural Societies. 
17. Geological Surveys of Minnesota. 
18. American Agriculturist. 
19. Gardener’s Monthly. 
20. Rural New-Yorker and History of Horticulture in America. 
21. Farmer’s Review. 
22. Fruit Recorder. . 
23. Purdy’s Small Instructor. 
The cost of the above books would not exceed $50.00, and of these or a like 
number of periodicals about $6.00, a sum much less than many of our farmers 
lose every season from a lack of just such knowledge as can be obtained from 
them. 
Respectfully submitted. 
OO I oH oo DO 
R. J. MENDENHALL, 
T. G.. CARTER, 
JOHN S. HARRIS, 
Committee on President’s Address, 
DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Harris said we should patronize home agricultural papers, 
and that Minnesota horticulturists should write for their publica- 
tions. Said that the annual report of the department of agricul- 
