102 ANNUAL REPORT. 
difficult for any one to learn enough by reading and observation in horticulture, 
to protect himself from imposition, and by practice to grow successfully whatever 
he may intelligently purchase. 
The first step the writer would recommend to every farmer or gardener is to 
subscribe for one good agricultural and horticultural paper and buy at least one 
standard book of horticulture, and as many more as they find a need for, and 
read up on the subject. A few dollars spent in this way will be a good inyest- 
ment. The next step is to organize agricultural and horticultural societies in 
each town for winter meetings, to compare notes, discuss varieties, and also 
methods of culture, and have lectures when practicable; and as soon as the 
growing season opens again, give the trees, plants and shrubs themselves your 
attention—apply what ideas you have and learn as much as possible from nature 
herself as she opens her book before you. Lastly, ally yourself to your State 
Horticultural Society, attend its meetings and obtain its transactions. There is 
no owner of a homestead in county or town who ever thinks of surrounding him- 
self with trees for any purpose (and who but some pitiful wretch of an Arab. 
does not?) but will find himself a large gainer in money, for the reasons given, 
by seeking knowledge through the means herein pointed out, rather than by 
suffering the hard but common experience of loss of his investments in trees 
through ignorance in selection and bad culture afterwards; while the gain he 
will make in the happiness and usefulness to himself and family, by enlarged 
knowledge of horticulture, the most delightful and the most elevating of all in- 
dustrial arts will amount to a capital that no money could buy, if it were in his: 
power to put it into the market. 
MR. HUMPHREY’S PAPER. 
EVERGREENS ABOUT OUR HOMES AS A SOURCE OF PLEASURE AND 
PROFIT. 
To undertake to say anything upon this subject, or indeed any other, that has 
not already been said many times, would be useless. What has been said would 
fill volumes, what has not been said would fill but a small page. But remem- 
bering that it is line upon line and precept upon precept that is needed to stamp. 
any good indelibly on our minds, let us have patience as wel] as respect for a 
little repetition of old ideas. Having come to the Minnesota prairies twenty-five 
years ago, and having gone through much more of labor, time and money than 
was necessary to accomplish the results finally obtained, I would gladly aid oth- 
ers to reach the same ends with more economy of means. I had intended to say 
something of the planting and care necessary to success, but as I learn that an- 
other member is to write on those points, I shall leave them to be treated by 
him. 
In riding several hundred miles across our prairies last summer, I was struck 
with the possibilities afforded for beautiful, prosperous and happy homes, and 
could not but think how few would ever realize these conditions in anything like 
the degree they might. The one great need of our prairies is trees—trees for 
fuel, for timber and for beauty. The fuel and timber trees must, in a measure, 
include beauty and shelter. It is especially of these last two points I would 
speak. Of all trees for these purposes a due proportion of evergreens gives the 
