438 
STATE HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 
incoming officers instructed to arrange with our co-workers 
upon similar terms for the coming season. 
During the week of the fair the friends of horticulture listened 
to a very interesting address by Judged. Gr. Knapp of Madison^ 
on the “ relation of our climate to fruit-growing, and the 
reason of failure.” This address presented the cause of fail¬ 
ures in a new and somewhat novel manner, laying the base 
of failure at the extreme drouth of the northwest, and to sub¬ 
stantiate his view, cited numerous instances in confirmation of 
this opinion. It was listened to with much attention, and fol¬ 
lowed in remarks by several of the leading fruit-growers, 
'who gave their experience with varied success, but all tending 
to confirm the idea advanced by the speaker of the evening— 
that the drouth of the latter part of the season of 1867 was 
the prime cause of the great destruction of fruit trees and 
plants during the winter following and summer of 1868. 
This much then for the past. How well his done, you, not 
I, may judge. Of the future what shall we say ? The field 
for labor is large—ripening for harvest as much of the seed is 
already sown. In addition to completing the work already 
commenced, viz: more fully planting the grouads of the ex¬ 
perimental garden, which we trust will be even more liberally 
supplied than heretofore, not with common things only, but 
everything which comes into your possession worth growing? 
and fully meeting the demands that may be made on you for 
lectures before the students of the university, and the annual 
exhibition to be given, I say in addition to these, the labors you 
have already on your hands, there are others which require your 
time and attention, Gentlemen, this society has a bright pros¬ 
pect before it. It is within your power to put forth the hand 
and insure ultimate success, if you but will it. Shall 
it be done, or will you let the golden opportunity pass ? That 
you are weak, financially, is true—then ask for aid. That 
the legislature of Wisconsin will grant assistance, we have no 
hesitancy in saying, if your claims are properly set forth and 
the objects for the same explained. In the scientific world is 
a field for labor which rightfully belongs to this society to occu- 
