256 ANNUAL REPORT. 



point of exelleuce of this constitution is that, by districting the 

 State, dividing it into fruit districts, and electing a director for 

 each district, which corresponds to a represntative in the legis- 

 lature, we are enabled to spread ourselves over the whole State; 

 there is no section that is not represented. As it is with us here, 

 I think not half the counties of our State are represented. 

 There is a large district in the southwest part of the State that 

 we have hardly ever heard from. Their location is about as fa- 

 vorable as Southern Minnesota generally, and they must be en- 

 gaged in fruit growing. By this system of electing a director 

 for each district, and paying the expenses of that director as 

 they do in Iowa, we will secure a rej)resentative from every one 

 of these districts. We can adoj^t this plan and take in the whole 

 State, and then I think we may reasona»bly go before the legis- 

 lature and ask for what we want and get it. On the other hand, 

 if we ask members of the legislature from the southwest to 

 aid us by an aj)propriation, they look around and think of their 

 constituents, and ask what do they know about it, or what bene- 

 fit do they receive ? They may get liold of your report and find 

 a recommendation of such varieties of fruits as will grow in the 

 Mississippi Valley. They don't know whether they will grow 

 or not, and very few of the people know of the advantages of 

 the system, which they would know if we had this plan. That 

 is the reason I want this directory system. I want to be able to 

 extend our advantages to the whole State. I think there is no 

 better plan. You may appoint your fruit committees away out 

 there, and fix your experimental stations, and it won't bring them 

 in as this plan will. I don't know as I ought to consume any 

 more of your time. 



President Smith. Iowa is so situated that nearly every part 

 of the State is well adapted to fruit. 



Mr. Dartt. We probably might not be able to get a report at 

 once from north of Lake Superior. We could take in, perhaps, 

 ten counties. Make the territory along the Mississippi, where 

 your fruit capabilities are about equal, into a district; then put 

 the inland counties as much as possible into fruit districts, so 

 that their climate would be about the same; make about seven 

 districts in the State. These seven directors of those districts, 

 with the president, secretary and treasurer, would constitute the 

 executive board. It gives every part of the State a representa- 

 tion in the system. Under a system where the St. Paul men 

 want to vote, and are allowed to come in and pay a dollar and 



