STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 4T 



as you have called upon me a few words. You liad me down for 

 an address of welcome without any consultation with me, but that 

 was not at all necessary, and I had intended to he here at two o'clock 

 to-day to make that address to the strangers or members in attend- 

 ance here at the meetings of the Horticultural Societ3^ But un- 

 fortunately I was obliged to be at St. Paul at that hour to attend to^ 

 some business connected with the State Universit}^ and was de- 

 tained; consequently I could not be here at the hour you had 

 indicated. 



I will say in reference to the work at New Orleans that this Soci- 

 ety is largely indebted for the reputation which the State has ac- 

 quired at the Exposition, as well as at the meeting of the American 

 Pomological Society at Philadelphia two years ago, to the energy 

 and efficiency of Mr. Gibbs. These premiums have caused much 

 remark. Why, they say, "How in the world is it that you men 

 up there in Minnesota can do these things, where you have such a 

 climate? If you get an apple once that has merit you want to blow 

 it all over the world!" [Laughter.] Why is it, they say, that you 

 can go to work and "scoop" the whole country? Well, the truth 

 of the matter is, the credit for the taking of these premiums is, 

 largely due to the skill and care, and to the persistent energy of Mr. 

 Gibbs. In the first place everything that was worthy of exhibition 

 from Minnesota was gathered up by Mr. Gibbs and taken to Phila- 

 delphia. I won't say everything, but samples of nearly everything 

 of value, were taken by him two years ago to Philadelphia and 

 placed in competition with the truit on exhibition from other States. 

 It was handled very carefully and was shown in its height of per- 

 fection. And the result was that there was no other way but to 

 give the first premium to Minnesota. It was the best fruit on ex- 

 hibition there. 



It was the same way at New Orleans. We had some two hundred 

 bushels of apples to exhibit. We did the very best we could with 

 what we had at our disposal. The fruit was very carefully selected 

 and it was very carefully handled; it was placed in cold storage and 

 kept in that state, no heat being allowed in the car except what 

 came from a coal-oil stove; it remained in this condition for some 

 two months till the opportune time came for the exhibition of our 

 fruit; and I may say that this was against the persistent demands 

 made that we should show our fruit at an earlier date. They wanted 

 to know why we didn't put out our fruit and put it on competition; 



