STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 45 



atteution in the large effort we maile to represent all the industries 

 of our State. Going there as I did the representative of the State 

 Horticultural Society, if there was any department which more than 

 any other I regarded as my pet department and wanted to see it at 

 its best, it was the Horticultural Department. We did not give it 

 any advantage over any other, as j'ou are probably aware who have 

 seen the reports. We aimed to carry the State to the top notch 

 everywhere where we were in competitioji witli others. 



You are already aware that we established the reputation of our 

 butter to be of a quality equal to the finest gilt-edge product pro- 

 duced anywhere in the world, although the improvements in the 

 manufacture of butter have been so general that in these exhibits, 

 where all parties are straining every nerve to get the blue ribbon, 

 there is but a line of difference sometimes between the different 

 samples, and judges have to figure very close to determine where 

 the superiority lies. Still with all this to contend against and the 

 closeness of judgiug, we were enabled out of the grasses, and water, 

 and climate, and cattle, and skill of Minnesota, to get the award for 

 making the best butter to be produced in the whole world. [Ap- 

 plause.] 



And I want to say here for your satisfaction that there was no 

 element of chance and no element of favoritism that entered into 

 that award. I speak of this here for I think these two branches of 

 dairying and of horticulture are more important to the Qountry than 

 any other branches of farm industry, and I believe I speak a fact 

 that has not been published and am therefore excusable for intro- 

 ducing it here. To show how close those things were in that busi- 

 ness of competition ; it was the earnest desire of every person ex- 

 hibiting at that exposition for premiums on dairy products, that 

 the best experts in the world should do the judging, men in whom 

 all had confidence; their success in the markets depended upon these 

 awards and they wanted no foolishness in the matter. Hence busi- 

 ness interests compelled them to agree upon judges of the very 

 highest character. They sent for men and brought them there for 

 that special duty whose reputation was as good for judging of the 

 quality of butter as that of any stockman would be for judging of 

 the points of an animal, so easily distinguished by the eye, and as 

 those grand sweeptakes of the world, this gold medal, was so 

 important they selected all of the packages in all the different 

 classes that had received first premiums and placed them in a room 

 together and then sent for that committee of judges and told them. 



