Best show of apples, Geo. Jeffrey.. Best display crab apples, J. C. Plumb. Best display of Pears, Geo. P. Peffer.. Second best, Geo. Jeffrey. Best display of fruit of all kinds, Chas. Hirschinger.. Second best, Geo. P. Peffer... Third best, Geo. Jeffrey... 3 00 2.00 1 00 2.00 50 2.00 1.00 700 5 00 3 00 Your committee would recommend a premium of $1.00 on the plate of Jonathan, exhibited by B. S. Hoxie, of Cookville. J. S. STICKNEY, S. HUNT,, A. G. TUTTLE, By vote of the society it was decided to close the exhibition at 12 M. on Friday. Mr. Philips moved that Peter M. Gideon, of Excelsior, Minnesota, the originator of the Wealthy, be made an honorary lifemember of our society. In the propagation of the Wealthy he had conferred a great benefit on the whole northwest, and it was fitting that some such expression should be given in acknowledgment of the benefit we have received. When Mr. Gideon was at our annual meeting two years since, as a delegate from the Minnesota Horticultural Society, he was elected an honorary annual member, but there was no mention made of it in the list of hon orary members. This was doubtless due to an oversight, but he very much regretted it, for it was due to him on the ground of courtesy, as a delegate, and also as to one who had conferred a special benefit on fruit growers of our State. The Secretary said he regretted the omission, but it was the result of oversight alone. Mr. Tuttle was in favor of making Mr. Gideon an honorary life member, for he richly deserved it. The Wealthy was not only a blessing to fruit growers of Minnesota, but it was equally so to us, and to all the northwest. Wherever it has been cultivated it does well and is continually growing in favor. With the exception of the Duchess it is the only standard apple that can be raised with any success in the northern counties of this state. The motion to elect Peter M. Gideon honorary life member was carried without a dissenting voice. REPORT OF FINANCE COMMITTEE. The finance committee, who were appointed to examine the treasurer's report, have performed the duty assigned them, and find the same to be correct. J. S. STICKNEY, J. W. WOOD, A. A. ARNOLD, Committee. SEEDLING PREMIUM. At the last annual meeting a committee was appointed to examine the records to ascertain what premiums, if any, had been awarded and paid on seedling apples. That committee made their report as follows: Your committee, who were instructed to examine the records in reference to the premiums awarded and paid for seedling apples, have performed the work assigned them, and find that two premiums only have been awarded, where the conditions under which the premiums were offered have been fully complied with. The first of these was awarded to the Clark's Orange, in 1876, and this premium was paid to Mr. Peffer the same year. The second premium was also awarded to Mr. Peffer in the winter of 1878, on Peffer's Winter, as it had then completed the five years' test and exhibition prescribed. This premium of ten dollars has not yet been paid. Respectfully submitted, F. W. CASE, Chairman. The report of the committee was accepted and adopted, and the secretary was instructed to draw an order for the premium due. Society adjourned. FRIDAY, February 4, 7. P. M. The society was called together by the president for the completion of the business of the session. The following committee of observation was chosen: First District George Jeffrey, of Milwaukee. ― Second District J. C. Plumb, of Milton. Third District-Geo. C. Hill, of Rosendale. - Fourth District G. W. Putnam, of Ash Ridge. Sixth District-C. W. Potter, of Mauston. Eleventh District A. R. McDonald, of Sheboygan. Twelfth District J. M. Smith, of Green Bay. The usual appropriation was made to the secretary. Also a vote of thanks was passed to the railroad companies for their courtesy in granting reduced rates to those in attendance. Wm. A. Henry, Professor of Agriculture in the University, T. C. Arthur and J. W. Larkin, editor of the Wisconsin Farmer, were elected honorary annual members of the society. แ ENTRY FEE. The subject of charging an entry fee at the competitive exhibitions of the society was discussed at some length, and resulted in the adoption of a motion, declaring that an entry fee of one dollar shall be charged to those competing for premiums offered at the society exhibitions, and that such entry fee shall constitute the exhibitor an annual member of the society for that year." The society adjourned withcut day. HORTICULTURAL ADDRESSES, PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS IN THE JOINT CONVENTION, AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, HELD AT MADISON, FEB. 1-4, 1881. THE MAINTENANCE OF OUR WOODLANDS. By FRANKLIN B. HOUGH, U. S. Commissioner of Forestry, Washington, D. C. 1. The thoughts we are to present have reference to a subject that more especially concerns the owners of land, and artisans working in wood. We might properly extend the lists by including those who depend upon the land and its increase for their subsistence, and those supplied by the artisans above named, with the structures that they build, and the commodities that they deliver for our use and comfort, and thus embrace, to greater or less extent, every person in the country - for we can think of no class whatever, among our whole population, both in city and country, that is not interested in the maintenance of an adequate supply of forest products, in some of the varied forms in which they are delivered to commerce, and that would not feel the inconvenience that would ensue from a failure of these supplies. In the common affairs of life, we judge of a man's success, when informed of the amount of his capital, and the excess of his income above expenses, and speak of one who is living much beyond his receipts, as a man who will sooner or later come to grief; 1 Read by the secretary in the absence of the author. the time of his calamity depending upon the amount of his surplus, and the rate of its exhaustion from accidents and use. Now, what is true of an individual in this respect, is true of families, of communities, and of nations; and the principle is exactly the same, whether the resources be in money, or in commodities that supply our wants: for money is only a measure of values, and the amount of it needed to secure a given object depends, not on the intrinsic worth of the coin we pay, but on the abundance or scarcity, or in other words the market value of what we buy. Applying this rule to the woodlands of the country, let us seriously inquire as to what is the amount of our capital; what is our income, and what are our expenses? If we find this capital much impaired, and the rate of our expenditure far above our income, would it not be wise in us to consider the important question : "What shall we do to prevent the impending danger?" We are to notice in the outset, that in any event that may happen, we can never look beyond our own limits for forest supplies, because, with the exception of Canada, no foreign country has ever furnished us with any lumber, excepting some of the finer cabinet woods, or ever will. While importing nothing ourselves from abroad, we have for a century or more been largely supplying the wants of other people less provided than ourselves, and are, at the present time, sending many millions of dollars worth annually to countries that have no adequate supplies of their own. It is to be noticed that this foreign demand is steadily increasing from year to year, partly from the opening of new marts of commerce, where none existed before, and partly from the increasing demand from diminishing supplies, in countries that have formerly provided for their own wants from their own resources, and that have even exported a considerable surplus of their own production, to countries less favored than themselves. We now send lumber of certain kinds to Norway and Sweden, and some even to Russia, while from our Pacific coast, immense quantities of our forest products are shipped annually to Australia, Polynesia and South American ports, regions which but a few years ago afforded no market for these products, and some of which had no name on our maps, and no name in the list of nations. |