STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 45 



which we are most particularly interested, have been our summer 

 meeting in June at this place, which was a marked success, the 

 meeting of the American Forestry Association, which took place 

 at St. Paul during my absence from the State, and the meeting of 

 the American Pomological Society at Philadelphia in September, 

 at which our Society won high honors as you will hear by the re- 

 port of the delegate who exhibited our fruits upon the occasion. 



HORTICULTURE AT THE FAIRS. 



The horticulture at the fair the last season showed a great fall- 

 ing off from previous years. The fair at Minneapolis was held a 

 few days too early in the season for apples, except two or three of 

 the early or summer varieties. At the State Fair at Owatonna, 

 there were less than a dozen exhibitors, and but about 40 varieties 

 shown. Among the exhibitors who showed any thing besides 

 Duchess, Wealthy and Siberans, were J, T. Grimes, E. H. S. Dart, 

 Geo. Clark, S. Bates and J. S, Morris & Son. The display of 

 flowers was fine, but not large, and was contributed by the ladies 

 of Owatonna and Mr. Dennerlias, the only professional florist of 

 the city, and most of them generously declined to receive any 

 premiums. 



This meager show was partly owing to the failure of the fruit in 

 portions of the State, the injury to it from cyclones in the part of 

 the state where the fair was held, and from changes in the premium 

 list favoing amateurs, and making it unprofitable for professional 

 exhibitors to pick up and bring in large collections that would carry 

 off the best of the awards, and drive out the smaller growers. At 

 the exposition of the Southern Minnesota Fair Association, at 

 Rochester, the horticultural display was much better, as it con- 

 tained the principal part of the fruit from the State Fair, and in 

 addition large and fine collections from A. W. Sias, E. B. Jordan, 

 R. L. Coterell and others. No ripe grapes were shown at any of 

 the fairs. The display of flowers at Rochester would compare 

 favorably with any ever made in the State, but was largely contri- 

 buted by the florists, Salzer & Losey, of La Crosse, Wisconsin. It 

 should be the aim and desire of our society to extend its benefits 

 and influence to all the citizens of this state. I believe that some 

 good might be done at the State Fairs, by bringing our influence 

 into operation as a State Association of horticulturists. There is 

 a manifest propriety in this, as Agriculture and Horticulture are 

 kindred interests, and in every Industrial Exposition of the state, 



