Annals of Horticulture. 



stronger than ever before. There have been great changes in membership 

 and officers, and the success of the society has been due to the disinterested 

 efforts of a few people. The questions will come up occasionally, ' What 

 have we to show for all this expenditure of energy ? ' ' Has the effort paid ? ' 



"On the debit side are the labors of the officers and members to make the 

 meetings interesting and valuable ; the annual fees that have been paid in by 

 the members ; the sacrifices that have been made to attend; the losses en- 

 gendered by absence from business to attend the meetings, and duties im- 

 Aims of P ose d by the society, 

 the Horti- "On the credit side are the good times we have enjoyed with friends 

 cultural whose sympathies and labors are in accord with our own ; the informa- 

 Society. t j on we h ave acquired by contact with people who know more about some 

 things than we do ; the brightening of our own views and methods by rubbing 

 up against our neighbors ; the crystallizing into better form our own ways of 

 doing, through the stimulus of imparting correct information to our friends ; 

 the gathering by absorption of better ways of management, by seeing the 

 methods our neighbors are using ; the broadening of our lives by a knowledge 

 of what others are doing, and the development of more defined views of 

 the means to success and satisfaction in life, thus becoming better fitted to 

 enjoy life and aid others in its enjoyment. 



" How does it look to you ? Has it paid to maintain this society ? Could 

 not we swell the credit side to even more considerable proportions by giving 

 a little more thought and attention to the work of the society ? Activity with 

 good purpose brings its own reward. We can not go amiss in making 

 the most of the days as they come to us, and the mere attainment of 

 a livelihood is simply the first course in the foundation of real life. I 

 feel that the freedom with which, in our society, we impart the in- 

 formation from our own experience which will aid others to a larger 

 measure of success, or prevent them from making mistakes that lie in the 

 way of success, is enough excuse for its continued existence. Our own lives 

 are enriched and ennobled just in the proportion that we strive to assist our 

 fellows. I have no sympathy or patience with the method that brings 

 emoluments in proportion to the ignorance of others. 



" Our meetings make a model school, at which we all willingly attend, to 

 seek the information we wish. There is no compulsion, no straight-jacket 

 method, simply the most delightful means of acquiring information, that, 

 while aiding business and promoting happiness, adds to the general fund of 

 information and aids in the general growth of the community. We who live 

 The Society * n ^ e eoun ^ r y an d have to deal with nature's processes, which are the source 

 as a school, of material wealth, are apt to forget that we are in the midst of a great uni- 

 versity, with numerous courses of study before us, and the means for a broad 

 education within our grasp. The question constantly confronts us, Shall we 

 sacrifice this education because we are not willing to look farther than the 

 acquirement of means to maintain existence ? If our society can aid us to 

 wider and more liberal views of nature's processes, to an appreciation of her 

 beautiful forms, to the utilization of the knowledge of nature's methods in 

 adding to our equipment for getting satisfaction out of the life that is given 

 us, it is worth the expenditure of a large measure of energy in its maintenance. 

 I am not certain but in promoting the objects of our society, and interesting 

 our children in the principles and practice that form the basis of success in 

 horticulture, we may not be accomplishing as much in developing them for 



