his matter was first called to my attention I felt that it would
be entirely out of place, being its editor, that I should make reference
to it in the society monthly, but as the fact has been widely published
throughout the state, and whatever honor is connected with this
presentation is to be shared with the members of the Horticultural
Society, I have changed my view point in regard to this, and it seems to
me now that the members of the society should be fully informed as to
what has taken place.

Mr. O. C. Gregg received this distinction on account of his connection
with the farmers' institutes of the state, of which he was the pioneer,
and in connection with which he remained as superintendent for some
twenty-two years.

Gen. LeDuc was for a number of years Commissioner of Agriculture at
Washington and introduced many important reforms in the management of
that department.

Mr. Chas. G. Patten is well known to our members of course as the
originator of the Patten's Greening apple, although this is quite an
infinitesimal part of the work that he has done in connection with the
breeding of fruits, the results from which the public are to profit by
largely, we believe, in the early future. At his advanced age of
eighty-four we feel that this honor has been wisely placed.

"Mr. A. W. Latham has been secretary of the Minnesota State Horticultural
Society for twenty-five years, during which period its membership has
advanced from one or two hundred to thirty-four hundred, making it the
largest horticultural society in the country, and probably," as stated
by the Dean in his address, "the largest in the world."

While this distinction has been conferred upon the secretary of your
society it is not to be considered as so much a personal tribute to him
as a recognition of the splendid work done by the society as a whole, in
which every member has had some share. To express fully my thought in
this I will refer briefly to the organization of the society, just half
a century ago, when a handful of earnest men united their efforts under
the name of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society in an endeavor to
solve the difficult problems connected with fruit growing in this
region. None of the men who at that time organized this society are now
living, but others have taken their places, and the important service
that was so well cared for by the earlier membership is being equally as
well prosecuted by those who have succ