Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 | Page 2

ever enjoyed by this organization.
Owing to the fullness of the program, I should consider it an imposition on my part if I should attempt to make an extended address at this time and will hasten to call on the gentlemen who are to contribute to the success of this meeting.
[Illustration: New varieties of strawberries originated at the Minnesota State Fruit-Breeding Farm.]

Annual Meeting, 1915, Minnesota State Horticultural Society.
A. W. LATHAM, SECRETARY.
Did you attend the 1915 meeting of this association, held in the West Hotel, Minneapolis, four days, December 7-10 inclusive? Of course as a member of the society you will get in cold print the substance of the papers and discussions that were presented at this meeting, but you will fail altogether in getting the wonderful inspiration that comes from contact with hundreds of persons deeply interested in the various phases of horticultural problems that are constantly passing in review during the succeeding sessions of the meeting. With such a varied program there is hardly any problem connected with horticulture that is not directly or indirectly touched upon at our annual gathering, and the present meeting was no exception to this. In all there were sixty-nine persons on the program, and with the exception of Prof. Whitten, whom we expected with us from the Missouri State University, and whom sickness kept at home, and one other number, every person on the program was on hand to perform the part assigned to him. Isn't this really a wonderful thing where so many are concerned, emphasizing as it does the large interest felt in the work of the society?
The meeting was held in the same room in the West Hotel which was used for the banquet two years ago. It seats comfortably 250, and was approximately filled at all of the sessions of the meeting. At the first session there were in attendance about 200 when the meeting opened at ten o'clock Tuesday morning. Later in the morning the seats were practically all filled. Making allowance for the change in the personnel of those in attendance at the various meetings, it is easily within the limit to say that between 400 and 500 were in attendance at these meetings.
Immediately adjoining the audience room on the same floor, and opening out of the spacious balcony, were the various rooms occupied by the fruit exhibit and the vegetable exhibit. The plant exhibit was in two alcoves on this balcony, and the cut flowers were displayed along either side of the balcony, making altogether a wonderful showing of nature's floral products. The accommodations for this meeting were almost ideal, and judging from the expressions of the members we have never been more happily situated than on this occasion. I have endeavored to draw a plan of the arrangements at this meeting and submit it to you, not for criticism, but to assist you in understanding the situation.
We were greatly disappointed that Prof. Whitten was detained at home by illness, but others from abroad took up the time so that there was really no interim as a result of his absence. We were fortunate in having with us the last day and a part of Thursday afternoon Sen. H.M. Dunlap and Mrs. Dunlap, and their parts on the program were listened to with intense interest, and I am sure much good was gained for our membership from the service they rendered the society, which it must be understood is a gratuitious one--indeed that applies to all of those whose names appear upon the program. That is one good thing about the horticulturist, he is willing to tell what he knows for the benefit of others. To hold any other view than this would be too narrow and selfish certainly for the true lover of horticulture.
The exhibits were in every case in excess of what we anticipated. Notwithstanding the light crop of apples in the larger portion of the state, there was really a fine showing, and quality was very high. Of boxes of apples there were shown eleven, and of barrels of apples six, for each one of which exhibits some premium was paid, as besides the first, second and third premiums in each case there was also a sum to be divided pro rata. There were twenty-nine pecks of apples exhibited, for which premiums were also paid in the same way. Four collections of top-worked apples were on the list. Premiums were awarded to forty seedling apples, an exceedingly good showing for the season. As to the number of single plates shown the record is not easily available, but the accompanying list of awards will give information as far as they are concerned, there being of course many plates to which no awards were made.
The vegetable exhibit was an extraordinarily fine one and filled comfortably the