48 ANNUAL REPORT. 



tinued with us and one of us and been an earnest worker ever 

 since. He has been a delegate from this Society to the special 

 meeting of the American Pomological Society, and the manager of 

 the centennial display of fruits for this Society without expense or 

 charge to us and to his efforts, with those of Wyman Elliot and a 

 few liberal minded fruit growers too poor in purse to do more than 

 donate fruits, we are largely indebted for the award of a diploma 

 and medallion, which contributed very largely to influence the Leg- 

 islature to donate to our society, annually the sum of $1,000 to aid 

 us in pursuing our noble work. He has also attended as our dele- 

 gate the meeting of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society 

 in 1880, and superintended an exhibition of fruits for the Society 

 and defrayed the principal part of the expense. The last name 

 that I shall present at this time is that of our modest friend, A. 

 W. Sias, of Rochester. He was in at the birth of the Society, con- 

 sequently is one of the "original twelve" fanatics who started the 

 Society, and set the good work in motion, that is destined to push 

 Minnesota into the front ranks as one of the fairest and best 

 among the great sisterhood of free and enlightened states. He 

 has kept up his membership except for a single year, and has filled 

 the oflnces of Treasurer and Vice-President and has never been hon- 

 oured so much by the Society as to receive the appointment of 

 delegate to represent us before any other Society. These all are 

 old worthies whose names and deeds will be held in reverence by 

 future generations. They have done the work for nothing, and 

 with others have paid for the privilege. Let us not longer fail to 

 recognize their worth and remunerate them so far as in our power 

 lies, and may the Minnesota State Horticultural Society never 

 want for scores of such liberal true-hearted men to conduct her 

 affairs and bear her on to the victory. 



LOCAL AND COUNTY SOCIETIES. 



The Minnesota State Horticultural Society is legally constituted, 

 and has its duties and obligations. Article 2d of the enactment- 

 reads — " The object of the Society shall be to collect, condense, 

 and collate information relative to all varieties of fruits, flowers, 

 and other horticultural productions and dispense the same among 

 the people." The ^most thorough and economical way of doing 

 this would be through the agency of local and county societies. In 

 order to help us to carry out this provision of the law the Legisla- 

 lature granted to us an annual appropriation of $1000. It is our 



