Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-06-20
STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
A Fine Display of Flowers and
Strawberries.

The State Horticultural Society was
called to order Tuesday afternoon al
1:30 by A. S. Robinson, president OF
the local society.
The following address of welcome
was delivered by B. NJ. Vaughan a
member of the local society:
Mr.. Presidentand Ladies and Gentlmen
| of the Wisconsin State IL ticultural
Society.
My name does not appear upon your
program for the address of welcome,
but the gentleman whose name does
appear, was unable-by reason Of other
dutles,-to address you. And at the
18th hour the committee in charge have
drafted me into the service.
On the part of the Wood County
Horticultural Society and of the citizens
of the Twin Cities and Wood County, I
welcome you here to-day. And [ hope
that you will find your stay with us
both pleasant and profitable.
We are glad to have you with us for
many reasons: First, because you have
heretofore sighted Central Wisconsin,
presumably because you have thought
that our section had no Horticultural
resources, or that we were not interest
ed IN Horticulture. Now neither is
true.
Not long since a prominent fruit
grower of this state-and [ believe a
member of this society as well-stopped
few days in Grand Rapids, and while
here called at my office. In our
conversation he remarked that he was
| Oh of l..
and was greatly pleased with our small
fruit possibilities. I asked him why he
was surprised, and he replied "I
thought you were all sand up here"
| And such seems to be the general
impression of people who have never
| been here, concerning Wood county.
Well Ladies and Gentlemen we have
got sand and lots of sand. But our
soils are not all sand, by any means.
| say soils advisedly, because Central
Wisconsin, and especially Wood County
has more variety in good soil than any
other part of the state that / have ever
| visited. And I have been pretty
thoroughly over the state south of the
10Th parallel.
And / may add here that we have
more good lays for small fruit growing,
to the square mile than | have ever
seen anywhere else. To the north and
east Of the Twin Cities we have a
deep, rich clay loam To the west and
natural cranberry bogs in America.
While to the south and southeast of us
is large area Of warm, rich sandy-loam,
with clay subsoil and water close to the
surface; a soil we'll suited to the raising
of small fruits and garden vegetables
All this we haye-and more. And
we are glad to have you with US at this
time, that you may see these Horti-
cultural advantages
Pray do not judge US by our this years
crop, for frost and hail have been
against us and by all means do not Judge
us by the country along our railroads
for unfortunately for us our railroads
run through our most uninviting lands.
But rather 60 with our members to
their homes, and see for yourselves
that what [ say Of our resources is true.
Again, we are glad to have you with us
because we want to learn what you and
you only know.
Pope tells us that Reading maketh
full man, conference ready man and
writing an exact man." We all read
every last one of us-whether you
would believe it, to look at us or not.
We have an excellent Horticultural
Library, consisting of over 60 bound
volumes and nearly 500 pamphlets,
bulletins and Horticultural papers,
covering almost every phaze of Horti-
culture, from which to select our read
ing. And our library is we'll patronized.
We can all write, too. So that the
only thing we lack to be Pope's
ideals in Horticulture is the econ
ference" And we are happy in having
you with us to-day to confer with; for
we recognize that you are trained
Hortlculturists, specialists each in his
own line; and that each of you know
what no book can tell us; and that what
you say will be the sweet, ripe fruit
of your long experience and earnest
thought. Fruits that we may here
taste-nay eat to without
first having to plant and tend and
| harvest. Again, we are rejoiced to
have you with us, that we may become
acquainted with you, commune with
| you. and catch from you something of
that enthusiasm that is the vital energy
which we'll directed vocations, has
| placed you at the front of Horticulture,
that calling, of all callings at once the
| most pleasant the most healtbful and
the most useful.
Once more I bid you welcome to
| Wood County. May your visit with us
| be bright spot i'll your memory
| through years to come, and may each
one OF you carry from us such an
impression as will make you want to
meet with us again and meet with US
often. And when you have gone from
us may you feel that you have, not
| alone improved us, but that you have
as we'll added much to your own already
great store of knowledge and enthusiasm
A. J. Phillips, secretary of the State
Society, responded on the part of that
society with appropriate remarks suit
able to the occasion.
The following is a list of persons who
were in attendance at the meeting of
the State Horticultural society:
| President L. J. kellogg and wife.
Ripon.
Treasurer R. J. Coe and wife, Fort
Atkinson.
Secretary A. J. Philips and daughter
Lulu, of West Salem
J. L. Herbst, Assistant Super1nten-
dent of Thayer Fruit Farm, Sparta.
W. D. Boynton, Shiocton.
E. E. Wolcott, Sparta.
A. d. Barnes, Waupaca.
Fred A. Hardin, Weyauwesa.
John Corse, Racine
Mrs. Vie H. Campbell, Evansville.
Miss Caroline Fitsch, Bearss Marsh.