ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT-ELECT.

W. W. PENDERGAST.

(At late annual meeting.)

Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Members:

I will not deny that this election has pleased me very much indeed, and I feel profoundly grateful to you for this proof of your confidence. I have been a member of this society for a good many years. I never have asked for and never expected any office whatever. I was willing to take my share as a simple worker to try to help the cause along as well as I could. I believe that in a society of this kind every one should be willing to

"Watch intent and firm of mind,

And watch where'er the post's assigned,

And leave to God the rest."

You have assigned to me this post, and I shall try to do the work as well as I know how. I do not expect to drop right into the traces and pull as steadily and do as well as Mr. Underwood, who has been your president so long, but as far as I can you have my word that I shall do my level best.

I want to say further what I said once before, that in this great state of Minnesota there are three organizations that I have had in my mind as doing, each one in its own way, a great work for the state, with the sole object of doing good. One is the Teachers' Association. Every year the teachers of this great state come together and devise ways and means by which they can lift the state up a little higher educationally, and they are doing it. There is the State Dairyman's Association, that is lifting it up financially, and it is doing a great work. It is saving our farms from destruction; it is saving the fertility of the soil that we have been exporting year after year; it is making a record that we shall be proud to deliver to our children when we are gone. There is the Minnesota State Horticultural Society; I mention it last but not least, because it is the one we are most concerned in here. We are here for service to the state, and, incidentally, to the whole land. The hightest aim that any man can have in this world is to place himself in position where he can best serve his fellows. (Applause.) One man said to me, "I do not care about my boy being able to serve somebody else, I want him to serve himself." Oh, what a fearful mistake that man made! He can never serve himself well until he has learned to serve his fellow men. "If any one be great among you let him be your minister." If you can point me out a man who has been great in this country or in the world, that man has been a good minister; he has ministered to the wants of the people, he has been a good servant. Was Lincoln a great man? It was because he was a splendid servant. Was Washington a great man? It was because he served his country well. Is there any one who has won world wide fame? Point him out to

me, and I will show you a man who has served the world well and advanced it. We are trying to carry joy, sweetness, light, comfort and beauty into every home in this great state of Minnesota, and we have abundant reason to be encouraged in what we are doing. I can remember when this society consisted of just a handful of men, and I am glad to see them here today, These men were interested in this great work thirty and forty years ago, and they have stuck to it through thick and thin; nothing has daunted them, and they have worked for the good of the cause with just as good vim and earnestness and pleasure as they had in the beginning-I think more, because every step that we take shows that we are advancing. Very many of us are getting gray, we are getting old, but our hori. zon is broader, avenues are opening up in this direction and that direction, and we can see a wonderful prospect spread out before us. You were speaking yesterday when I came in here about work in the schools; the schools are going to take it up. I have been asked a great many times if I did not believe a separate text book should be put in for horticulture. At the present time I would say, no. We cannot have a text book on forestry, on horticulture, on agriculture, for everything that people think should be taught in our schools, but we can train the boys and girls in their nature studies, in their field work that we are turning attention to now all over the state, we can train their thoughts in the right direction, we can set them to thinking on these things. We can place no limit to an education. When a boy graduates from the University of Minnesota he has an education only to fit himself to keep on educating himself and thinking on in the right direction, thinking to a finish upon everything that is laid before him that is worth his thought. And that is the way we are going to put this into the public schools of the future, and it is going to cover not only horticulture, but forestry and agriculture, and it will cover all these nature studies; we will put them all together, and the boy will see things in nature that will be worth something to him. The good time is coming, is right upon us; all we have to do is to work until we reach perfection.

Mr. Hartwell, (Ill.): I want to express my appreciation of the words just spoken by your newly elected president. As I understand it, you are here in part to express your sympathy with this idea of putting your public schools in relation to this horticultural society. You have elected the state superintendent of instruction as president of this society. To me it is a great outlook, and I want to express my feelings more emphatically by asking the secretary to enroll my name in the list of life members of your society. (Applause.)

Trial Stations.

MIDSUMMER REPORTS, 1899.

CENTRAL TRIAL STATION, ST. ANTHONY PARK.

PROF. S. B. green, sUPT.

The winter which we have just passed through was unusually severe, and had it not been for the fact that our soil was well filled with water, and that we had a fairly good covering of snow upon it, we would have had much more injury. Where the conditions were not as favorable as here, as in parts of Wisconsin and central Iowa, injury to vegetation has been very severe. With us there has been no more root-killing than usual, and our hardy varieties of plants have come through the winter in quite satisfactory shape. The wood of our apple trees was more discolored than usual this year, but of those varieties that we regard as hardy it has started a vigorous growth and is now in excellent condition.

Among the plums there is not a variety of the domestica class left in good condition, and many of them are killed to the snow line. The Chickasaw class of plums is also badly injured. A lesson that would seem to have been enforced by the winter is that the plums for this section must come from the Americanus class. Our small fruits came through in good condition where they had the usual wintering, and the outlook now for raspberries, strawberries, grapes, currants and gooseberries is unusually good. Our apricots were all severely injured, and some of them killed back to snow line. Of our cherries few varieties have set fruit, and nearly all were so severely injured in the fruit bud that we can expect but little fruit from them this season.

Among the shrubs many varieties were killed back to the snow line this winter which previous experience, for seven or eight years, had seemed to show perfectly hardy. A more detailed report of these, and general results of the winter, will be made in bulletin form later on, so there is no need to refer to them here at greater length.

The last legislature appropriated money for a new horticultural building, and work was begun on it about the 7th of June. This will give excellent quarters for the division of horticulture, both of the school and station, and for botany and physics, and will increase the accommodations for chemistry and entomology and zoology and is a great addition to the equipment here.

EUREKA TRIAL STATION.

C. W. SAMPSON, SUPT.

The outlook for the fruit crop is a big one. All kinds of small fruits and grapes seem to have come through the winter in excellent shape and promise a bountiful crop. Strawberry plants that had no protection whatever came out all right, owing to the deep covering of snow. Raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries and grapes all promise a good crop. Apples are fairly well loaded, and plums bid fair to ripen a big crop.

I have sprayed my apples and plums three times and fought the curculico, so that I expect a fine crop of plums. I find that by going out early in the morning and jarring the trees I can kill a good many of them.

I have found that a good way to keep apples in perfect condition is to pack them in air-slaked lime. Put in a layer of apples in the barrel and then cover them completely with lime and keep on until the barrel is full.

I believe the apple industry has only just begun in Minnesota, and in a few years we will see car loads of the finest apples in the world raised here., My Compass cherry trees set out last spring are well loaded with fruit and are not injured with the curculio or other insects.

EXCELSIOR TRIAL STATION.

H. M. LYMAN, SUPT.

Fruit trees at this station are generally looking well. The past winter has not been as hard on them as some thought it would be. The season last fall was favorable for ripening the wood, and they were able to withstand quite a degree of cold for several days or even weeks together. If it were not for that milder spell between those extremely cold days the injury would have been far greater. As it is, only the more tender varieties suffered.

Most of the Russians came through well. The Lowland Raspberry is discolored some. Other varieties are all looking well. I have a few trees of Northwestern Greening; it is not considered very hardy. The Wealthy came through in good shape, also the Okabena. The McMahon appears to be in good shape; the Utter did not fare as well. The Charlottenthaler is hardy and will, I think, take the place of Yellow Transparent, which blights badly. Apple trees have set for a fair crop, while plums are loaded with fruit.

LA CRESCENT TRIAL STATION.

J. S. HARRIS, SUPT.

The season of 1898 went on record as an unusually fruitful one, especially for most varieties of strawberries, grapes and apples. Grapes and apples had been allowed to overbear, which, with other unfavorable conditions, taxed the vitality of the trees and plants severely. The rainfall of the season was from six to eight inches below normal, and the end of the season found the growth only

moderate, but generally well ripened up.

Following conditions were most favorable, or we might have experienced a repetition of the wholesale slaughter of 1872-3 or 1884-5. If copious rains had not fallen it would have caused root-killing, or if the rains had come but a few days sooner and been followed with a temperature high enough to start a new flow of sap and growth, it would have caused top-killing. Although portions of the winter were extremely cold and the ground not covered with sufficient depth of snow to keep out frost, the roots of trees and plants were not injured in the least and were able to afford moisture to supply the loss by evaporation, and in the coldest weather the frozen wood did not show the shriveled condition that we have often noticed during some previous hard winters. Doubtless, also, the conditions of the spring may be set down as favorable.

STRAWBERRIES-Strawberry plants wintered perfectly, whether covered or not; if there was any difference, it was in favor of the uncovered or most slightly covered. Plants bloomed heavily and set well, with the promise of a phenomenal crop, but excessive rains since the latter part of May, warm, cloudy weather and the great electrical storm of June 11th, has greatly injured the crop.

The Clyde is a very strong grower, and this season is out-yielding every other variety. As usual, the Bederwood is yielding well and showing itself to be about the best early berry for the farmer. We had thought of discarding the Rio, but this season it is proving to be one of the very best early berries.

Glen Mary is a strong healthy plant; fruit large and abundant, not as good or attractive as the Clyde. Nick Ohmer is a giant among plants; fruit large and fine. Splendid is maintaining its reputation and ought to have a place in every plantation. We have no further use for the Michel's Early. It is only valuable as a pollenizer and to give one or two light pickings of very fine fruit. The Sparta is not satisfactory on our soil. Several newer varieties have been planted for trial. The season of ripening is one week later than last year, and full results cannot be given at this date, June 15th. RASPBERRIES—We do not usually lay down and cover our raspberries. Old plantations of blackcaps, with the exception of the Older, suffered more than in any winter since 1884-5, and will not bring a half crop, and all reds, except Loudon, Miller and Red King were killed badly; the Cuthbert so badly that there will be scarcely any fruit. A plantation of the Loudon, without any protection, wintered perfectly and promises a fine crop. The King is also a very promising variety. Blackberries of all varieties killed worse than we ever had them before.

CURRANTS that were infested with worms last year were injured by the winter. Other stood the winter well and are producing a fair crop. The Red Dutch is not doing as well as the Victoria, Prince Albert and Long Bunch Holland. A few plants of Pomona, Moore's Ruby and Fuller were planted last year, of which the Pomona is the most promising. The plant is vigorous and productive.

GRAPES-The crop of grapes in 1898 was immense. This year we expect less than a half crop. All varieties were somewhat injured.