14 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Another question of importance to our horticultural interests is 
the improvement of our roads—in fact, there is not a business inter- 
est but what demands better roads in the country. Our merchants 
have their stores full of winter goods that must be sold; the holi- 
days come and the farmers want to go to town to do their trading, 
but the roads are so rough that only a few, those living near by, 
will venture out. And this condition prevails all over the state. 
Suppose there were five good, well kept, macadamized roads, each 
running ten miles back from Lake City, you could not find a hall in 
town large enough to hold the farmers who would be in attendance 
upon our meetings; and in the Summer time the produce of the farm 
and garden could be brought to town in good condition and ata 
saving of time and expense. Our cities are greatly in advance of 
the country in their facilities for transportation. The electric cars 
flit with the rapidity of lightning from place to place, and in some 
places a person can ride thirty miles for five cents; while in other 
places, without these facilities, it costs twenty-five cents to ride half 
amile. Itis time our rural friends awoke from their slumbers and 
secured legislation that would enable them to levy a tax on land for 
the improvement of roads in proportion to its proximity to the im- 
provement, and to provide for its judicious expenditure by compe- 
tentsupervisors. With a good road to drive on, a man could havea 
fruit farm five miles from town and get his fruit to market quickly _ 
and in good condition. 
The past year witnessed the holding of state and local fairs once 
more. They seemed a little tame with the memory of the great — 
World’s Fair still lingering in our minds. 
Itis a great satisfaction to those who have followed the success 
of our State Agricultural School to witness the splendid results 
accomplished. Here our young men fit themselves, during a three 
years’ course, to be fully competent to conduct a farm, a dairy or a 
fruit farm; while we, who did not have their advantages, have re- 
quired thirty years of experience to reach the same results. Farm- 
ers, have you a son whom you can send to this school? Do not 
delay a single day. Send him atonce. He will come back to you 
with knowledge of the best and most advanced ways to conducta 
farm. Do you think you know itall now? Youare mistaken. Have 
you never got your load into the rut and mud of unimproved roads, 
when it took some strong adjectives and an extra team to pull you 
out? Then did you not go atit and fix that road? Well, we all get 
into ruts, and here is a chance to get out and repair our methods by 
sending our boys to our State School at St. Anthony Park, and they 
will come back to us and help us out. The school is ours free, the 
expenses for living are light; and I hope the time is not far off when 
provision will be made for our daughters so they, too, can share the. 
privileges, and come home and help mother by introducing the best 
methods of housekeeping. 
I desire to call the attention of our society to the needed change 
in our constitution and by-laws. Our work has become of so great 
importance that our organization should be ona permanent basis 
and, instead of electing a new set of officers each year, we should 
