24 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
were furnished voluntarily and at considerable expense to the 
donors. Thecontributors to these were R. J. Mendenhall, Minne- 
apolis, M. W. Cook, Rochester, The Jewell Nursery Co., Lake City, 
Clarence Wedge, Albert Lea, John P. Andrews, Faribault, and S. D, 
Richardson, Winnebago City. Six premiums were offered to new 
members for 1894, which in the judgment of those acquainted with 
the circumstances is more than should be offered. For the coming 
year three premiums will be offered to new members, which will be 
contributed by the State Experiment Station, taking the expense off 
those who have so willingly borne it the past year. A hearty ac- 
knowledgment is certainly due these gentlemen for their assistance 
last year and, more than that, for their voluntary offer to continue 
the same gratuitous work the coming year. From this task for- 
tunately we are able to relieve them. 
From the above figures it is apparent that about three-fifths 
of the annual members for the past year were either old 
members, or new members who did not ask for premiums. A 
large majority, apparently, of the members for 1893 renewed their 
membership the last year. The life membership roll has been 
increased by the addition of three names, Messrs. J. R. Cum- 
mins of Washburn, E. E. Harris of La Crescent, and L. J, 
Gjemse of Hader. Four,it is known, have died: Philip Herzog of 
Minneapolis, and three of the veterans of horticulture in Wisconsin, 
namely: J. M. Smith of Green Bay, Geo. P. Peffer of Pewaukee and 
E. Wilcox of Trempeleau. Obituaries of these gentlemen have 
been published in late numbers of the “Horticulturist.” Of the 
roll of honorary members for a limited period, four have been added 
this year and six dropped, making a decrease of two, as, also, in the 
life roll a decrease of one. 
The State Fair.—On account of my connection with the horticul- 
tural department at the state fair, it is fitting I should speak of it. 
At the suggestion of the state fair board our executive committee 
revised the premium list, increasing the premiums on fruit some 
$200, up to the amount of about $700. The premiums on flowers were 
also increased about $100, those on vegetables remaining about the 
same, except a decrease in that offered for county exhibits. <A radi- 
ca) change in the fruit list was the doing away with the sweepstakes 
premium, placing all the premiums in that department on the same 
basis, namely, that the articles should be grown by the exhibitor. 
The result of this list, supplemented by work through the “Horticul- 
turist,” resulted in the best fruit and flower exhibit, taken as a whole, 
that has ever been made at the state fair, notwithstanding this was 
an exceedingly poor year for fruit. We may well feel proud ina 
society like ours—one that can conquer success under such inaus- 
picious circumstances. A little criticism has been made as to 
these changes, which should receive attention at the hands of our 
next executive board. The list was so arranged that nearly the 
whole amount of premiums offered was taken, and by a larger num- 
ber of different exhibitors, two of the principal points in view in the 
revision. 
