tion 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. Wal