Chapter 50

Mr. S. H. Drum, of Owatonna, is one who has also been one of our most faithful members, whose experiments have been in fruits, and he has brought great encouragement to us in the southern part of Minnesota. He has now moved to Owatonna and, not being content with the best, he has started out with a new plantation with two kinds of fruit, and I think he is topping the market with the very best.

Mr. President, I move that these names be added to the list of honorary life members of the Minnesota Horticultural Society.

There are several seconds to the motion.

The President: A very fitting tribute, I am sure. Are there any remarks? The name of Mr. Cummins calls my attention to the fact that about twelve years ago he presented this society with the gavel that I hold in my hand. This gavel is made of black walnut grown by Mr. Cummins on his own place. I do not suppose that he made the gavel himself, but it is made of material raised on his own farm, and when this gavel comes down good and hard I want you to think of Mr. Cummins. Are you ready for the question, that those gentlemen suggested be made honorary life members?

Motion is carried unanimously.

The President: I am now going to call on the young men from the University Farm who are contestants for the Gideon Memorial Fund. (See index.)

Contestants thereupon read their essays.

The President: I will now ask the judges to retire and decide which of these young men is entitled to this prize money. For the benefit of some of the newer members who may not understand the situation I will say that some years ago a number of the members of this society believed that we should commemorate the good work done by Peter M. Gideon. A sum of money was raised to be known as the Gideon Memorial Fund. It was decided that that money be placed at interest and that the interest derived therefrom be offered as prizes to young men attending our agricultural school or college. They were to deliver addresses at the meetings of the Minnesota Horticultural Society, and the young men preparing the best papers and making the best talks would be awarded this prize money, the accrued interest from this fund. So we have annually three young men from the agricultural college that present papers or make addresses on subjects that are of importance to this society. This is a memorial for Peter M. Gideon, who has done such splendid work for the fruit raisers of the Northwest.

While we are waiting for the report of the judges I will ask Mr. Ludlow to come forward and tell us about a letter that he received from Peter M. Gideon, November 2, 1885, and which was accompanied by Mr. Gideon's last catalog.

Judges announce their decision. (Applause.)

_Premiums Awarded to Gideon Memorial Contestants_:

1. The Plum Curculio--Edward A. Nelson. 2. Standardizing the Potato--A. W. Aamodt. 3. Marketing Fruit at Mankato--P. L. Keene.

The President: I am now going to call on some of the delegates to this meeting. Mr. George H. Whiting, representing the South Dakota Horticultural Society, we will ask him to come forward and say a word.

Mr. Whiting: Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen: I do not know why Mr. Cashman should ask me to come forward. I have not very much to say and could have said it back there just as well. Perhaps you will wish I had stayed back there.

I will say it is a pleasure to me to be with the Minnesota horticulturists again. I have met with you quite a number of years but not in the capacity of delegate. I did not expect to be a delegate this time, thought I would leave the place for some younger man, but there seemed to be no other present, and so I had to accept. I rather felt as though I was not competent or did not care to take the responsibility of making a report. I am getting old and a little tired, and I do not like to do so much of that kind of work as I used to. However, I presume I will have to do the best I can and let it go at that.

I will say you have a wonderful society here. It is a wonder to me sometimes how you keep up the interest, how to keep up so much interest in this work. There is no other state in the Union that has such a good, live society. I attended a great many of the state societies last year. I had the pleasure of attending the Missouri State Society. I can say that you discount them and then some. An old state like Missouri and a fruit state, you might say, it is supposed to be in the fruit belt, and still you fellows up north here have all the vim and the snap and determination to do things that those fellows do not do at all. It is more in the man, I think sometimes, than it is in the location.

It used to be said that Minnesota was not a fruit state, you could not grow apples in Minnesota. Well, I believe Mr. Gideon said that if he could not grow apples in Minnesota he would not live there, something to that effect, and he did not intend to leave the state either. Now, you all know what success he made, and you that follow have a great deal to be thankful for the work he did, and you are hoping--and I presume you will be successful--to obtain an apple that is even better than the Wealthy.

I am glad that you take so much interest in this matter of new seedlings. It will surely develop something some day, there is no question about it. Of course, you cannot tell when, and you cannot tell who will be the lucky man to get the thousand dollars, but undoubtedly there is more at stake than the thousand dollars; that is a very small item.

I think I will not take up your time. It is getting on, and I have not thought of making any talk, have nothing prepared and nothing in my head. I thank you for your attention. (Applause.)

The President: I am going to call on our good friend, Professor Hansen, secretary of the South Dakota Horticultural Society, who has done so much for us.

Mr. Wedge: Mr. Hansen is not here. I just want to say a word that might interest some of the younger members of the society in regard to our friend who has just left the floor, Mr. Whiting, of Yankton. He is the original Dakota nurseryman, who went out in the days of the pioneers before I think there was any such thing as South Dakota, and he has stayed on the job ever since. That is not so wonderful, for others, lots of people, have stayed on the job, but he has made money out of the business and got rich. I think he deserves some very special praise. (Applause.)

The President: Is Professor Waldron in the room? Here he comes. He is the leading light of North Dakota and a gentleman who has been with us before. (Applause.)

Mr. Waldron: These people will think North Dakota is a dark place if this is a leading light. What is the occasion of this?

The President: Tell us your troubles.

Mr. Waldron: When we had a good wheat crop we did not have any troubles. We forget our other troubles whenever we can get something like 100 million bushels of wheat. Our horticultural troubles have been quite numerous. We had a frost every year, including July. We started in on the ninth day of June with a frost that killed everything in sight except a few cottonwood trees and things like that, but all of our tomatoes, which were in blossom by the way at that time because we had a favorable spring, and plums and apples went the same way. I think a few of the late blooming plums managed to survive. The frost in July did not hurt very much but the frost in August certainly finished us.

Mr. Latham: The reporter is taking all that.

Mr. Waldron: Our reputation is so good, we can own up to calamity once in a while. Of course, if our reputation was not better than others we would have to keep it dark, but inasmuch as nature favors us so continuously we can own up when we get bumped. The August frost put our corn out of business, so we are around with long fingers trying to steal seed corn.

However, a great many of the people of the state are looking forward to the matter of planting trees as never before, and our farmers and citizens are taking more interest in general tree planting and beautifying the homes than in previous years. I had this term a large class of students in landscape gardening. They will go out to the places where they live and encourage the planting of trees and landscape gardening there. In this matter of general ornamentation the frosts or other calamities have not discouraged us. I think there were more trees grown and more ornamental work done this year than in any two previous years because the men have the money and are willing to spend it. I was out on a farm last week where a man insisted on buying a thousand evergreen trees. The nurseryman tried to sell him only five hundred, but he would not have it that way. He wanted a thousand. He said he had the money and was going to pay for them; so he planted the thousand trees. We do not recommend such rashness on the part of our farmers, but it shows when a farmer insists on having a thousand trees he is taking the beautifying of his grounds seriously. This is perhaps an extreme case, but we have others working along the same line.

I certainly enjoy the privilege of being with you people here again as I have for the last quarter of a century, twenty-five years ago, when I was made an honorary member of this society, and I do not know of any prouder moment in my whole career than when you saw fit to honor me in that manner. I certainly would never forgive myself for the balance of the year if I failed to attend these meetings. (Applause.)

Mr. Philips: Waldron is too modest. He has not told the best thing he ever did in North Dakota, so I shall. I visited him a good many years ago, and he had some interesting boys there, especially the oldest one, and I told him that if he was going to keep ahead of that boy he would have to hustle, and now that boy at nineteen has the ability to go to one of the southern states as a professor. So he didn't tell us the greatest thing he ever did. Maybe some of the credit is due to his wife; that is the way it is at my house. (Applause.)

Mr. Waldron: I am so far behind that boy I am sort of jealous. I do not mention it.

The President: The secretary of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society is with us, Professor Cranefield. Is he in the room?

Mr. Cranefield: Mr. Graves, of Sturgeon Bay, is the duly accredited delegate to the society and probably you want to hear from him.

The President: We heard from him two or three days ago, and we will hear from him again, but just now we want you to give us a few words. This is Professor Cranefield, who has contributed on previous occasions to the success of our meetings. (Applause.) (See index.)

The President: I will now call on Professor Mackintosh, who is going to read a paper at this time.

Mr. Mackintosh: Yesterday I had to start the ball rolling as a substitute for a man from Washington, and with the assistance of Miss Bull we kept most of you here until after 12 o'clock. Today I am put ahead of the program, so you won't hear me tomorrow afternoon. The subject is, "Bringing the Producer and Consumer Together."

Mr. Mackintosh reads paper. (Applause.)

The President: I regret very much that time will not permit us to discuss this very able paper. Secretary Latham has just called my attention to the fact that there has been but very few tickets bought for the banquet this evening. You understand it takes time to prepare food, and he has to announce just how many people would be present, and I sincerely hope that those of you who intend to attend the banquet (and I trust that will be every one present) will get your tickets immediately. It is the very best part of our program. Please get your tickets so that Secretary Latham may know how to prepare for you.

At this time recess was taken until 1:30 o'clock p.m.

December 9, 1915, Afternoon Session.

Discussion on "The Topworked Orchard," led by A. J. Philips, Wisconsin. (See index.)

The President: The next order of business will be the election of officers for the coming year. The secretary just handed me this slip which gives you an idea of the requirements in order to be eligible to vote for officers. (Reads extracts from constitution.) The first will be the selection of a president for the coming year. Nominations are in order.

Mr. Bradley: Mr. President, it is said that republics are ungrateful, but it is not necessary for horticultural societies to be ungrateful. It has been, I think, in the past, and I hope it may continue to be in the future, the policy of this society to recognize the services of its officers and so we, I think, are justified in recognizing the distinguished and efficient services of our present presiding officer. I take great pleasure in placing in nomination for president of this society the Honorable Thomas E. Cashman. (Applause.)

Nomination is duly seconded and there are no other nominations.

Mr. Crosby: I move that the secretary be instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of this society for Thomas E. Cashman as president of this society.

Motion is seconded and carried.

Mr. Cashman: Friends, I deeply appreciate this honor that you have conferred upon me. I am always ready to contribute my mite towards the service of the people, but I am never happy unless I am convinced that I am able to give all that the position demands. Your selection of me as your presiding officer for the sixth time convinces me that you are at least satisfied with what I have been able to do for you and this, I assure you, makes me extremely happy.

I will endeavor to show my appreciation by doing all that is within my power to further the interests of this society made up of men and women that cannot be excelled for intelligence, cleanliness of habits and honorable and right living. I know a great many horticulturists, not only of this state but of other states, and they, I assure you--and you know it yourselves--are far above the average. I therefore deem it a great honor to be known as the president of one of the best organizations, I do not care whether it is horticultural or otherwise, in this country today. I thank you. (Applause.)

The President: I find there are two members of the executive board to be elected at this time, one to succeed Professor LeRoy Cady and another Mr. R. A. Wright, whose terms of office expire at this time.

Mr. Cady and Mr. Wright are nominated to succeed themselves, nominations are seconded and upon motion the secretary cast the unanimous ballot of the society for Mr. Cady and Mr. Wright as members of the executive board for the coming three years.

The President: The next will be the selection of a treasurer.

Mr. George Strand is renominated, nomination is seconded and on motion the secretary cast the ballot of the society for Mr. George W. Strand for treasurer.

The President: The secretary places in nomination the following men, as vice presidents of this organization. I will ask him to name the list. Vice-Presidents: C. E. Snyder, 1st Cong. Dist., Preston; S. D. Richardson, 2nd Cong. Dist., Winnebago; J. K. Andrews, 3rd Cong. Dist., Faribault; B. Wallner, Jr., 4th Cong. Dist., St. Paul; F. H. Nutter, 5th Cong. Dist., Minneapolis; Matt. Tschida, 6th Cong. Dist., St. Cloud; G. A. Anderson, 7th Cong. Dist., Renville; J. Kimball, 8th Cong. Dist., Duluth; A. L. Hanson, 9th Cong. Dist., Ada; A. W. Richardson, 10th Cong. Dist., Howard Lake.

Secretary Latham reads names of nominees for vice presidents and places them in nomination. Nomination is seconded and upon motion the secretary is instructed to cast the ballot of the society for the persons named as vice-presidents.

The President: The next number will be a speech by Mr. S. P. Crosby, chairman of the committee that was selected by this association to go before the legislature at the last session and try to secure an appropriation sufficient to build a home for this society. (See index.)

The next gentleman on the program is our friend Clarence Wedge, who is going to tell us of his trip out to Yellowstone Park. (See index.)

Mr. Wedge: Not exactly to Yellowstone Park. We came within a day's drive of the Yellowstone, but our interest and enthusiasm went in another direction this year.

Mr. Wedge reads paper.

The President: "Peonies New and Old," by Mr. A. M. Brand, of Faribault, one of the best peony specialists in the state.

A Member: And of the world. (Applause.) (See index.)

Discussion.

The President: We have another noted horticulturist with us today from Illinois. You have all heard of the Senator Dunlap strawberry. The originator is with us today, Senator Dunlap, of Savoy, Illinois. He will be on the program tomorrow. I will be pleased to have the senator come forward and give us a word of greeting.

Mr. Dunlap: I hardly think it is necessary for me to come forward. I will be on the program a couple of times, and you will hear all that you care to from me. I am very glad to be here with you. It has been some time since I met with your society, but I remember well the very pleasant time I had at that time. I came this week from the Michigan Horticultural Society, in session at Grand Rapids, and I was very loath to leave such an interesting meeting, but I knew when I came to Minneapolis I would be in just as interesting a meeting. I wish to disabuse your minds of the statements made by your honorable chairman through an error. I am not the originator of the Senator Dunlap strawberry. The Reverend Mr. Reisenour (?) is the originator of the strawberry, and he thought it was a thrifty, strong, healthy plant and would stand the name of Dunlap, so he gave it to the strawberry. (Laughter and Applause.)

The President: I stand corrected. I have been misinformed, although I think you carry the honor. Our time is up. I have been requested to announce that the lantern talk given by Mrs. James Jennison will take place at the close of the Woman's Auxiliary meeting. Some very talented ladies are to speak this afternoon, and I hope you will all stay and listen to them. I will now turn the meeting over to the Women's Auxiliary and request Mrs. F. M. Powers, who will preside, to take the chair.

Mrs. Powers: Just a continuation, I hope, of our good program that was begun this afternoon, and we will now listen to Mrs. Clarence Wedge, of Albert Lea, on the "Value of Horticulture to the Farm." Mrs. Wedge is not a stranger to horticulture nor to this society. (See index.)

Mrs. Powers: Some one has said that the enemy of art is the enemy of nature, and art is nothing more than the highest sagacity and attainment of human nature. We have with us Mrs. Cyrus W. Wells, who has had considerable experience in this line and will give us the practical side.

Mrs. Wells spoke on "Art Made Practical."

Mrs. Powers: "The Day's Work," by Mrs. John B. Irwin.

Mrs. Powers: According to our program we were to have one speaker tomorrow morning because we thought she could not be here at this time, but Mrs. Dunlap is here and will favor us now, if you please.

Talk by Mrs. A. M. Dunlap on "Better Methods in the Home."

Mrs. Powers: The last number on our program will be "The Highway Beautiful," by Mrs. Jennison.

Mrs. Jennison gave a lantern talk.

President Cashman: We have a very important question to be considered this afternoon, and, fortunately for us, it is going to be taken care of by one of our best men--"Breeding for Hardiness"--something this gentleman has been doing all his life. He has met with a great deal of success, and we are profiting by it. That gentleman is Professor N. E. Hansen, of Brookings, South Dakota. (Applause.) (See index.)

The President: Mr. C. E. Older has some suggestions to make, and we will give him an opportunity to talk at this time.

Mr. Older: Mr. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen: In a meeting of some of the leading exhibitors of the state fair yesterday they expressed quite a bit of dissatisfaction with the present manner of awarding premiums on commercial apples, that is, boxes of apples and one-layer boxes. The point was that it would be a good thing if the state could be divided so that the sections which are more favorable for the development of the apple would be in a section by themselves, and the balance of the state compete by itself. The following resolution was formulated to bring before this society, asking for their opinion oh the subject and discussion:

Resolved, That we ask the state fair board that the state be divided into two sections for the purpose of exhibit at the State Fair, making two classes, one being the Wealthy apple and the other class comprising all other varieties of box and one layer apples, the state to be divided as follows: Beginning at the Mississippi river on the north line of Goodhue County and running west on the north line of Goodhue, Rice, Le Sueur and Nicollet Counties, thence running south on the west line of Nicollet, Blue Earth and Faribault. All those counties lying east and south of these lines are to constitute the first district, the balance of the state being known as the second district.

We also ask the state fair board that first, second, third, fourth and fifth premiums be offered on all apples, and on all the next ten lower exhibits a certain premium be paid to all deserving exhibits.

And we ask that premiums be offered on Everbearing Strawberries showing both bearing plants and fruit of the Progressive, Superb, and any other varieties.

We also ask the state fair board that they make some practical arrangements to get the horticultural exhibits moved to the state fair from the depots in a more satisfactory and cheaper manner than the present arrangements.

I move you that this resolution be adopted.

Motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

Meeting adjourned.

December 10, 1915, Morning Session.

The President: We are to have a talk on "Spraying the Orchard," by Senator Dunlap, of Illinois, this morning. (See index.)

Discussion.

Mr. Crosby: We thank Senator Dunlap for his able talk. I think that is the way to progress. If we do not do things right up-to-date we can learn how to do better from a competent man.

The President: We all enjoyed the able talk of Senator Dunlap. He is president of the Orchard Association of Illinois. He is considered one of the most practical men down there, and we are very fortunate in having him with us and to listen to his valuable talk and experience. (Applause.)

We will now listen to Professor Richard Wellington, who will tell us about "Orcharding in Minnesota." (Applause.) (See index.)

Discussion.

The President: I am going to suggest a little matter at this time which I am sure you will all approve of. It has been said by hundreds of men and women attending these meetings who have had an opportunity of enjoying the talks and papers and splendid program given here that we had the greatest horticultural society in the world. It is true that we have the largest membership of any horticultural society in the United States and, I presume, of the world.

You will all agree with me that is due to the efforts of one man to a large extent. That man has been in our service and looked after our interests for twenty-five years. He is at his best all the time, cordial, kind, using good judgment, prevents friction among us, always working for the best interests of everybody belonging to the society and the interests of the state.

As I said before, he has served us twenty-five years, and I think it only fitting at this time that we should show our appreciation in a way that will appeal better than words. It has been suggested that we purchase some little token and present it this afternoon. It is up to you as to how much you want to give or whether you want to give anything or not, but Mr. Crosby and Mr. Brackett will be at the door as you pass out this noon, and they will probably have a hat there and you can drop in what you want to, and we will buy something for him and present it this afternoon. (Great applause.)