70 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
January, 1918 
we to dealing with big problems, 
so used to speaking in terms of car 
loads and of acres, so absorbed in 
developing the commercial fruit 
and vegetable industries of the 
state that sometimes we, or at least 
some of us, have overlooked the 
fact that the sum total of produc- 
tion of 100,000 gardens of 1 /10 of 
an acre each is of greater econom- 
ic importance than 10,000 acres 
devoted to market gardens. It is 
doubtful if we have in Wisconsin 
10,000 acres devoted to commercial 
vegetable gardening and it is not 
too much to say that in the whole 
state 200,000 gradens of an aver- 
age of 1/20 of an acre each were 
cultivated last season amounting 
to 10,000 acres. This is a very 
conservative estimate and there 
are some who have set the figure 
three times as high. 
There is little need, then, for us 
at this time to canvass the broad 
field of horticulture for that which 
is best for us to do; the task is at 
hand. 
This does not mean that we 
should neglect or even slight those 
things which have absorbed our 
attentions in the past, better fruit 
and more of it, the marketing of 
our produce, brightening the home 
by raising flowers; it only means 
that we must do more than we 
have ever done before, that we who 
are best equipped for the task must 
serve as leaders. 
It is gratifying to me, your sec- 
retary, to be able to stand here to- 
day and say to you and through 
you to all the people of the state 
that the State Horticultural Soci- 
ety has taken a leading part in 
this work since April, 6th. 
We were the first in the field 
with a publication intended to aid 
the amateur, viz., the special edi- 
tion of our magazine mailed April, 
17th, just two weeks earlier than 
any other similar publication. 
The succeeding issues of our pa- 
per for several months were de- 
voted almost wholly to the home 
garden and given as wide a circula- 
tion as possible. 
Several meetings were arranged 
in communities where the need for 
help seemed greatest, each attend- 
ed by one or more of our officers. 
Predictions were not lacking by 
the Gloom Squad that interest 
would lag as the season advanced 
and in order to overcome this the 
Gardener’s Advisory Council was 
organized. An account of the 
splendid work done by this group 
of volunteers appeared in the De- 
cember number of WISCONSIN 
HORTICULTURE. Without be- 
littling in any measure work done 
by members of our association in 
the past I find nothing in my four- 
teen years of service quite com- 
parable in spirit and results ac- 
complished equal to the work of 
this voluntary body, the Garden- 
er’s Advisory Council. 
In these ways then the State 
Horticultural Society has aimed to 
serve as soldiers in the Great War. 
We have not neglected to do the 
things which we set out to do be- 
fore this other and greater oppor- 
tunity to serve came to us. 
In the field of legislation we 
have not been idle. Through the 
efforts of this Society the first im- 
portant. step has been taken toward 
the solution of the vexed problem 
of marketing by the enactment of 
the Apple Grading Law. 
Through our efforts also the 
game laws have been so amended 
as to give reasonable protection to 
owners of apple trees from the at- 
tacks of that dear little furry 
quadraped, the cottontail. 
Our relations with the College 
of Agriculture continue on the 
same cordial basis as in the past 
and on this account our members 
are coming to realize more fully 
than ever not only the need but the 
great value of every department 
of this splendid institution and I 
am sure every member will join 
with me in expressing to the de- 
partments of horticulture, ento- 
mology and plant pathology our 
grateful appreciation of the excel- 
lent work done by these depart- 
ments in the advancement of hor- 
ticulture in Wisconsin. We are 
immensely grateful that we have 
as leaders in the work of instruc- 
tion and investigation in horticul- 
ture and therefore co-workers, 
men like Jones, Moore, Wilson, 
Keitt, Vaughn, Roberts, Milward, 
Potter and Aust. There is, there 
cannot be anything but the heart- 
iest cooperation between these two 
departments. 
In like manner our relations 
with the State department of ag- 
riculture draw closer each year un- 
til now that department has en- 
trusted to our Society the conduct 
and management of the horticul- 
tural department at the State Fair. 
The Trial Orchards have been 
conducted as in past years. The 
Trial Orchard Committee will re- 
port on the conduct and manage- 
ment of these. 
The orchard census work begun 
so auspiciously in 1916 was sus- 
pended in 1917 owing to lack of 
funds. Your secretary has unlim- 
ited faith in this work and hopes 
that means and the man may be 
available the coming year to con- 
tinue it. A complete orchard cen- 
sus of the commercial orchards of 
Wisconsin will serve as a founda- 
tion from which to build a system 
of crop reports which will be reli- 
able and valuable not only to the 
grower but to the dealer and the 
consumer. 
A Jew, David Lubin, who a few 
years ago was a farmer in Cali- 
fornia and probably unknown out- 
